In the summer of 2025, Findlater Castle took its place on the world stage when Academy Award-winning director Christopher Nolan chose our dramatic clifftop ruins as a key filming location for his highly anticipated epic, The Odyssey. For nearly two months, the ancient seat of the Earls of Findlater and Seafield was transformed into part of an ancient Greek world, welcoming Hollywood's biggest stars to the Banffshire coast.
It is perhaps fitting that Findlater Castle—a fortress with a history stretching back to at least 1246—was selected to help bring Homer's timeless poem to life. Perched 50 feet above the Moray Firth on its rocky promontory, the castle has witnessed invasions by Norwegian forces in the 13th century, a siege by Mary, Queen of Scots in 1562, and centuries of Scottish history. Now it will be seen by audiences around the world when The Odyssey arrives in cinemas on 17 July 2026.
Nolan, the mastermind behind Oppenheimer, The Dark Knight trilogy, and Inception, spent approximately six weeks filming at Findlater and the surrounding Moray coastline. The production—reportedly the most expensive of Nolan's illustrious career, with a budget of $250 million—used the castle as one of several Scottish locations, alongside Buckie Harbour, Burghead Harbour, Culbin Forest, and Sunnyside Beach.
The castle closure from 27 May to 25 July 2025 brought with it an extraordinary parade of talent. Matt Damon, who stars as the legendary Greek king Odysseus, was photographed leaving the Findlater film set and quickly became a familiar and well-liked presence in the local community. The Oscar-nominated actor was spotted browsing Cullen Antiques Centre, working out at Motion Fitness gym in Buckie, and even received a Buckie Thistle FC shirt as a gift—which he graciously accepted and signed for the club.
When asked about his time in the area, Damon described Cullen as "wonderful" and called the Moray coast "great." Local shopkeepers noted his warmth, with one remarking that he had "time for everybody" and had visited nearly every shop in Cullen.
The star-studded cast also included Tom Holland (Spider-Man) and Zendaya, who were spotted at Burghead Harbour boarding boats during filming sequences. Other major names attached to the project include Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, Jon Bernthal, and Mia Goth.
Even director Christopher Nolan himself was seen in the area, paying a visit to The Moray Playhouse cinema in Elgin to watch F1 during a break from production—though he declined photographs, preferring to remain "incognito."
Production crews arrived at Findlater in early June 2025, erecting high fencing around the site and constructing temporary structures on the cliffs. Drone photographs revealed at least one small building added to the dramatic coastal landscape, designed to blend with scenes depicting Odysseus's perilous ten-year journey home from the Trojan War.
A notice at the site described the work as "the construction, lighting and dressing of two film sets, followed after the shoot phase by striking them and returning the locations to as they were prior to tenancy." Path diversions were put in place along the Findlater Castle and Cullen to Sandend coastal paths during the closure.
The production made extensive use of the Moray coast's natural beauty. At Buckie Harbour, wooden Greek warships appeared alongside the Draken Harald Hårfagre—the world's largest Viking ship—creating an atmosphere of an ancient naval invasion. The stunning white sands of Culbin Forest and the secluded Sunnyside Beach near Cullen also featured in filming.
The Odyssey marks Nolan's first film shot entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras, using newly developed technology that promises an unprecedented cinematic experience. The production has been described as "a visionary, once-in-a-generation cinematic masterpiece," and early footage shown at IMAX screenings has drawn rapturous responses from audiences.
The film follows Homer's epic poem, chronicling Odysseus's legendary encounters with mythical beings including the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and the witch-goddess Circe as he struggles to return home to his wife Penelope following the fall of Troy.
The first trailer, released in December 2025, includes footage filmed in Scotland—including a striking scene of soldiers running towards the sea from a dramatic clifftop location that appears to be Findlater. The trailer accumulated over 121 million global views within 24 hours, making it one of the most-watched trailers of the year.
For nearly eight centuries, Findlater Castle has stood witness to the ebb and flow of history—from Viking occupation to royal sieges, from the rise and fall of the Ogilvy Earls to its gradual decline after being abandoned in favour of Cullen House in the early 1600s.
Now, thanks to Christopher Nolan's vision, these ancient ruins will introduce millions of cinema-goers around the world to the raw beauty of the Banffshire coast. When The Odyssey premieres in July 2026, audiences everywhere will see what visitors to Findlater have always known: there are few places on earth quite as dramatic, as atmospheric, or as steeped in history as this remarkable castle on its white cliffs above the Moray Firth.
The Odyssey is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on 17 July 2026.
Findlater Castle remains open to visitors. Please note that the ruins are in a fragile state and access to the promontory should be approached with extreme caution.