Nolan recently announced that his 12th film will be a change of pace in his filmography; the director is writing and producing a biopic about the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer. For more on who he is, what the movie will be about, and the cast so far, check out our breakdown of everything we know about Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer is adapted from the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird. The Pulitzer Prize-winning book is being adapted into a film being described as "an epic thriller shot in IMAX that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world to save it."
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon
Oppenheimer was a scientist famous for leading the Manhattan Project, the team that developed the atomic bomb for the United States of America in World War II. He later served as chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, where he worked to stop the developing nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union.
In 1954, Oppenheimer was branded a communist for his affiliation with multiple groups. He was relieved of federal government service and would continue his contributions to science as a teacher and innovative theoretical physicist during his exile. He received three Nobel Prize nominations in physics between 1946 and 1967, although he never won one before his death in 1967.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is proving to be an embarrassment of riches for moviegoers. While much has been made of James Cameron's long-awaited sequel and its stunning visuals, fans heading to theaters this weekend will also be treated to trailers for some of next year's most animated movies. The “Barbie” teaser further showcases the fabulous doll outfits of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, and a new trailer for “Oppenheimer” gives fans their best look yet at what Christopher Nolan is cooking up in his movie about the inventor of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer.
"Oppenheimer" is Nolan's second film to deal with World War II-related themes, following the success of 2017's "Dunkirk." But while that was a straightforward war movie, "Oppenheimer" promises to be more of a character study. intimate that takes viewers into the mind of the man who created the deadliest weapon in history.
Written and directed by Nolan, “Oppenheimer” stars Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman, James Remar, Josh Hartnett, and Alden Ehrenreich.
With a budget of “only” $100 million, “Oppenheimer” will be the smallest film Nolan has made in decades. But the show-loving director is still finding ways to visually dazzle his audience. In a recent interview, Nolan explained that the film recreates the first detonation of a nuclear bomb without using any digital effects.
“I think that recreating the Trinity test [the first detonation of a nuclear weapon] without the use of computer graphics was a great challenge,” Nolan said. “Andrew Jackson, my visual effects supervisor, I brought him in early on, he was looking at how we could do a lot of the visuals in the film in practical ways, from rendering quantum dynamics and quantum physics to the Trinity test itself, To recreate, with my team, Los Alamos on a plateau in New Mexico with extraordinary weather, much of which was necessary for the film, in terms of the very harsh conditions that exist, there were enormous practical challenges.”
“Oppenheimer” opens in theaters on July 21, 2023.