Oppenheimer (film)

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Oppenheimer
Directed byChristopher Nolan
Screenplay byChristopher Nolan
Based on
Produced by
StarringCillian Murphy
CinematographyHoyte van Hoytema
Edited byJennifer Lame
Music byLudwig Göransson
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • July 21, 2023 (2023-07-21)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$100 million

Oppenheimer is an upcoming American epic biographical thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It is based on American Prometheus, a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The film is a co-production between Syncopy Inc. and Atlas Entertainment; Nolan produced the film alongside Emma Thomas and Charles Roven. Cillian Murphy portrays Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who is among those credited with being the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the Manhattan Project—the World War II undertaking that developed the first nuclear weapons.

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 21, 2023, by Universal Pictures. It is Nolan's first film not to be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures since Memento (2000), due to disagreements arising from the studio's simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release schedule.

Premise[]

The film follows J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who contributed towards the Manhattan Project that led to the invention of the atomic bomb.

Cast[]

Production[]

Development[]

Christopher Nolan at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan

In December 2020, Warner Bros. Pictures announced plans to give its 2021 films simultaneous releases in theaters and on HBO Max due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the film industry. Christopher Nolan, who had partnered with the studio on each one of his films starting with Insomnia (2002), expressed his disbelief with the decision.[24] In January 2021, media reports mentioned the possibility that Nolan's next film could be the first to not be financed or distributed by Warner Bros.[25] Nolan had previously supported the studio's decision to give Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) a simultaneous release, stating that he perceived that situation to have been handled properly, but said he had been excluded from any discussions regarding the postponed release of his film Tenet.[26][27]

In September 2021, it was reported that Nolan would direct a biopic set during World War II about J. Robert Oppenheimer, creator of the atomic bomb, with Cillian Murphy in negotiations to star.[28] Nolan approached multiple studios for the film, including Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Apple Studios due to his strained relationship with Warner Bros., though the choice to work with them again was still available.[29][30] According to insiders, Paramount was out of the selection early on, following the replacement of CEO and Chairman Jim Gianopulos with Brian Robbins, an advocate for increased streaming service releases.[30] On September 14, it was announced that Universal would distribute the film, with production set to begin in the first quarter of 2022.[31] Some of Nolan's demands included a production budget of $100 million and an equal marketing budget, a theatrical window of at least 100 days, 20 percent of the film's first dollar gross, and a three-week period before and after the film's release in which Universal could not release another new film.[30]

Casting[]

Cillian Murphy at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany.
Portrait of J. Robert Oppenheimer, first director of Los Alamos National Laboratory.
L–R: Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer marks the sixth collaboration between Nolan and Murphy, and the first where the latter stars as the lead. To prepare for the role, the actor did what he summarized as "an awful lot of reading" on Oppenheimer's life.[32] In October 2021, Murphy and Emily Blunt were confirmed to star.[1][2] By the end of 2021, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr.,[3] Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, and Benny Safdie were added to the cast.[4] In early 2022, Josh Hartnett,[33] Dane DeHaan,[6] Jack Quaid,[7] Matthew Modine,[8] Dylan Arnold, Olli Haaskivi,[9] Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz,[10] Michael Angarano, Kenneth Branagh,[11] David Dastmalchian,[12] Jason Clarke,[13] Louise Lombard,[14] Scott Grimes, Christopher Denham,[15] James D'Arcy,[16] David Rysdahl,[17] Guy Burnet, Danny Deferrari,[18] Josh Peck,[19] Harrison Gilbertson, Emma Dumont,[20] Matthias Schweighöfer,[21] Gustaf Skarsgård,[22] and Devon Bostick joined the cast.[23]

Filming[]

Pre-production was underway by January 2022 in New Mexico, where a two-day casting call took place in Santa Fe and Los Alamos for people to audition to play local residents, military personnel, and scientists.[34][35] Another casting call was held in February.[36] Filming began in late February 2022,[10] with Hoyte van Hoytema serving as cinematographer. The film uses a combination of IMAX 65mm and 65mm large-format film.[1] It is also the first film to shoot sections in IMAX black and white analog photography.[37]

During post-production, editing will be completed by Jennifer Lame and the musical score will be composed by Ludwig Göransson, who previously scored Tenet.[1]

Release[]

Oppenheimer is scheduled to be released on July 21, 2023, by Universal Pictures in IMAX, 70mm, 35mm, and 65mm large format.[1][38] Considering the film's budget and marketing costs, Variety says the film will need to gross at least $400 million worldwide to make a profit.[39]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Kroll, Justin (October 8, 2021). "Cillian Murphy Confirmed to Star As J. Robert Oppenheimer In Christopher Nolan's Next Film At Universal, Film Will Bow in July 2023". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (October 20, 2021). "Emily Blunt In Talks To Join Christopher Nolan's Next Film Oppenheimer At Universal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Kroll, Justin (November 2, 2021). "Robert Downey Jr. And Matt Damon Latest Stars To Join Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Kit, Borys (December 9, 2021). "Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie Join Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Lang, Brent (February 22, 2022). "Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Releases Moody First Look, Kenneth Branagh Joins Cast". Variety. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Kit, Borys (February 7, 2022). "Dane DeHaan Joins Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (February 15, 2022). "The Boys Star Jack Quaid Joins Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (February 16, 2022). "Oppenheimer: Matthew Modine Joins Christopher Nolan's Film For Universal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Kit, Borys (February 16, 2022). "Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Adds Halloween Kills, Manifest Actors (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Kit, Borys (February 22, 2022). "Oppenheimer: Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz Join Christopher Nolan Drama (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (February 22, 2022). "Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Gets First-Look Photo As Kenneth Branagh Joins Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Couch, Aaron (February 25, 2022). "David Dastmalchian Reuniting With Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (March 1, 2022). "Oppenheimer: Jason Clarke Joins Christopher Nolan's Next Tentpole At Universal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (March 1, 2022). "Louise Lombard Joins Oppenheimer; Harold And The Purple Crayon Adds Camille Guaty". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c White, James (March 1, 2022). "Oppenheimer Adds Jason Clarke And Louise Lombard". Empire. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (March 2, 2022). "Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Adds James D'Arcy & Michael Angarano". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (March 4, 2022). "Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Casts No Exit Star David Rysdahl (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (March 7, 2022). "Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Adds Guy Burnet & Danny Deferrari". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (March 9, 2022). "Drake and Josh Star Josh Peck Joins Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (March 10, 2022). "Oppenheimer: Harrison Gilbertson & Emma Dumont Board Christopher Nolan's Thriller For Universal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (March 11, 2022). "Army Of The Dead Breakout Matthias Schweighöfer Joins Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Couch, Aaron (March 15, 2022). "Oppenheimer Enlists Vikings Actor Gustaf Skarsgard (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (March 16, 2022). "Devon Bostick Joins Universal's Oppenheimer; Sony's George Foreman Biopic Adds Deion Smith". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  24. ^ Boone, John (December 7, 2020). "Christopher Nolan Reflects on Tenet Release, Reacts to Warner Bros./HBO Max Deal (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  25. ^ Watson, R.T. (January 21, 2021). "Want to Be a Hollywood Player? Covid and Streaming Have Changed All the Rules". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  26. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (December 10, 2020). "After Christopher Nolan's explosive remarks, could Warner Bros. lose its superstar director?". Variety. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  27. ^ Katz, Brandon (February 3, 2021). "Where will Christopher Nolan go after his war with Warner?". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  28. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 9, 2021). "Christopher Nolan Bombshell: Director Talking To Multiple Studios On Film He'll Direct About J. Robert Oppenheimer & Development Of The A-Bomb In WWII". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  29. ^ Kit, Borys (September 9, 2021). "Sony, Universal Among Studios Vying for New Christopher Nolan Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  30. ^ a b c Kit, Borys (September 15, 2021). "Inside the Studios' (And Apple's) Frenzy to Get Christopher Nolan's Next Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  31. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 14, 2021). "Christopher Nolan Chooses Universal Pictures For His Film About J. Robert Oppenheimer & The A-Bomb". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  32. ^ Cumming, Ed (February 20, 2022). "'It's the end of a big adventure': Cillian Murphy bids farewell to Peaky Blinders". The Guardian. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  33. ^ Kroll, Justin (January 4, 2022). "Josh Hartnett Joins Christopher Nolan's Next Film Oppenheimer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  34. ^ Gomez, Adrian (January 29, 2022). "Oppenheimer to film in New Mexico this year". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  35. ^ Tashji, Michael (January 30, 2022). "Hundreds turn out for Oppenheimer casting call". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  36. ^ Vitu, Teya (February 3, 2022). "Two more movie shoots come to New Mexico; Oppenheimer calls for more extras". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  37. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (February 22, 2022). "Oppenheimer First Look: Cillian Murphy Smolders in Christopher Nolan's Atomic Bomb Drama". IndieWire. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  38. ^ Lawrence, Gregory (October 8, 2021). "Christopher Nolan's New Movie Oppenheimer Sets 2023 Release Date". Collider. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  39. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (November 18, 2021). "Why Christopher Nolan's $100 Million WWII Drama Oppenheimer Could Be the Last of Its Kind". Variety. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.

External links[]

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