Producers are working on Odysseus, an independent European-American television series inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, with plans to begin filming in Greece and Armenia in early 2027.
Deadline reported that Athens-based Tanweer Productions is producing the project in partnership with the newly launched US production company Tectonic and the Armenian-American company USATV. The team has spent several years developing the series and hopes to expand it into a broader television universe.
Stranger Things producer joins as showrunner
Karl Gajdusek, an executive producer on the first season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, will serve as showrunner. Sean Finegan, Scott Windhauser, Noah Lang, and Blake Hoss wrote the pilot episode.
The creative team plans to offer a visceral and historically grounded interpretation of the world associated with Homer’s epic. Rather than focusing exclusively on gods, monsters, and mythology, the series will explore warfare, political betrayal, seafaring, and the struggle for survival during the Bronze Age.
According to the producers, the story will connect Odysseus’ journey with the wider upheavals that preceded the Bronze Age collapse, a period of disruption that transformed much of the ancient Mediterranean world. “There’s something huge about taking on this epic story in the most grounded and realpolitik way we can,” Gajdusek said in a statement to Deadline.
Gajdusek argued that Homer presented the stages of Odysseus’ journey as metaphorical explorations of the self. However, he added that human realities lie beneath the mythology, including challenging life choices and lives and relationships lost or saved. According to the showrunner, stripping away the story’s embellishments would allow audiences to encounter the flesh-and-blood Bronze Age characters behind the legend.
EXCLUSIVE: Independent European-U.S. TV series ‘Odysseus’ is being readied in the slipstream of glowing reviews for Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster movie ‘The Odyssey’
Full details ⬇️ https://t.co/lBnoJqy9uO
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) July 16, 2026
A historically grounded portrayal of Ancient Greece
In Greek mythology, Odysseus is the legendary king of Ithaca and the central hero of Homer’s Odyssey. Homer portrays him as an exceptionally intelligent, strategic, and cunning leader who spends ten years trying to get home after the decade-long Trojan War.
Jordan Dykstra said the team began developing the series nearly five years ago, with the goal of bringing the story to contemporary audiences through an ongoing television format. “Our desire is to bring to audiences an authentic and thrilling portrayal of ancient Hellenic Greece,” Dykstra said in a statement to Deadline.
The production team aims to film on location in Greece and Armenia in early 2027, although it has not formally confirmed the schedule.
Halo director Roel Reiné to lead Odysseus as producers plan filming in Greece and Armenia
Dutch filmmaker Roel Reiné will direct the series. His previous credits include the historical productions Washington and Black Sails, the Paramount+ science-fiction series Halo, and Netflix’s martial arts drama Wu Assassins.
Executive producers include Vaagn Sarkissian of USATV, Jordan Dykstra, Denisa Juhos, Karl Gajdusek, Sean Finegan, Scott Windhauser, Noah Lang, Blake Hoss, Reiné, and Dionyssis Samiotis of Tanweer Productions.
Development continues, but the team has not announced a cast, broadcaster, streaming partner, or release date.
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