Ralph Fiennes is barely recognizable in the newly dropped trailer for his sweeping epic The Return, shedding his matinee-idol looks for a rugged, battle-worn Odysseus.

The dashing British actor, 61, reunites with The English Patient co-star Juliette Binoche for this modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, marking 30 years since their iconic performances in the Oscar-winning Best Picture.

The trailer reveals The Return as the story of King Odysseus (Fiennes) finally reaching Ithaca after his long, brutal journey home from the Trojan War, only to face a harsh reality. 

‘What will the people say when they see I have returned alone? That I led all their men to their deaths?’ he asks somberly.

In a stark close-up, Fiennes looks completely transformed—dressed in rags, with a scruffy beard and tired, haunted eyes—revealing just how much this king has endured on his journey home. 

Ralph Fiennes is barely recognizable in the newly dropped trailer for his sweeping epic The Return, shedding his matinee-idol looks for a rugged, battle-worn Odysseus

The trailer reveals The Return as the story of King Odysseus (Fiennes) finally reaching Ithaca after his long, brutal journey home from the Trojan War, only to face a harsh reality

The official synopsis reads: ‘After 20 years away, Odysseus (Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. 

‘His beloved wife Penelope (Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king. Their son Telemachus faces death at the hands of these suitors, who see him as merely an obstacle to their pursuit of the kingdom. 

Odysseus has also changed — scarred by his experience of the Trojan war, he is no longer the mighty warrior from years past — but he must rediscover his strength in order to win back all he has lost.’

Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzari, Claudio Santamaria, and Angela Molina round out the star-studded cast.

The Return was co-written by director Uberto Pasolini, along with John Collee and Edward Bond. Pasolini also serves as producer, joined by James Clayton, Roberto Sessa, and Kostantinos Kontovrakis. 

In October, Fiennes shared with IndieWire that The Return takes bold departures from the classic tale of Odysseus. 

‘The script did away with monsters,’ Fiennes explained. ‘It was the end of The Odyssey, and there’s no goddess Athena to help Odysseus look pretty and give him a fuller head of hair or make him more useful. 

‘So we embrace the idea that he is a man after 20 years of travel, 10 years at war, 20 years lost. 

The dashing British actor, 61, reunites with The English Patient co-star Juliette Binoche for this modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, marking 30 years since their iconic performances in the Oscar-winning Best Picture

‘What will the people say when they see I have returned alone? That I led all their men to their deaths?’ Fiennes asks somberly in the trailer

Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzari, Claudio Santamaria, and Angela Molina round out the star-studded cast

The Return was co-written by director Uberto Pasolini, along with John Collee and Edward Bond

‘He’s washed up naked, with nothing. He’s given a blanket. All I wear is one red piece of cloth I wrapped around me in different ways, and a loin cloth.’ 

The Return made its world premiere on September 7 at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where Binoche told The Hollywood Reporter that reconnecting with Fiennes on-screen was ‘joyful.’

The two had previously worked together on The English Patient and the 1992 Wuthering Heights adaptation, marking Fiennes’ film debut. 

‘We stayed friends all these years,’ shared Binoche, who won the 1997 Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The English Patient. 

Fiennes told the outlet that it was ‘a no-brainer’ to play Binoche’s onscreen husband.

‘Juliette is like a compᴀss for me: She has such an extraordinary, intuitive depth and understanding about what it is to act on film.’

At 61, Fiennes underwent a rigorous regimen of diet, running, and weight training to sculpt a lean, muscular physique for his portrayal of Odysseus. 

The Return made its world premiere on September 7 at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where Binoche told The Hollywood Reporter that reconnecting with Fiennes on-screen was ‘joyful’

‘We stayed friends all these years,’ shared Binoche, who won the 1997 Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The English Patient

‘We were aiming for a sort of sinewy look, of someone who has spent their life rowing, swimming and sailing and not eating a lot,’ Fiennes told THR.

‘Uberto was very anxious that I shouldn’t look like someone who’s been to the gym. And, frankly, at my age, I’m not going to put on a lot of muscle anyway. 

‘I put myself in the hands of this wonderful man, my trainer, and just surrendered to his will. What I learned is the key is a very strict diet. If you follow that, you shed unwanted flesh.’

The Return premieres in theaters December 6.