Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer': Release date, cast, and everything we know so far

Nolan is making his first biopic about the man who built the atomic bomb.

Every few years, Christopher Nolan descends from his directorial Olympus to deliver another must-see film. His consistency rivals that of any living or legendary filmmaker. As a writer, director and producer, he's one of the most successful directors in cinema, making blockbusters that match the scale of classics from Spielberg or Kubrick. The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, The Souvenir: his work is a checkerboard of originality and adaptation.

Nolan recently announced that his 12th film will change the annals of his cinema; the director is writing and producing a biopic about the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer. For more on who he is, what the movie might be about, and the cast -- so far -- check out this breakdown of everything we know about Oppenheimer.

What Is Oppenheimer About?

Oppenheimer adapted from 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 described as "an epic thriller in IMAX footage that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pulling paradox of a mysterious figure who must risk the destruction of the world." risk to save the world."

Oppenheimer is the most famous scientist Manhattan Project - The team that developed the atomic bomb for the United States of America during World War II. He later served as chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, working to slow the developing nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union.

In 1954, Oppenheimer was labeled a communist for joining various groups. He was relieved of his duties in the federal government and will continue to contribute to science in exile as a teacher and pioneering theoretical physicist. From 1946 to 1967, he was nominated for three Nobel Prizes in Physics, although he was never nominated for one until his death in 1967.

Is There a Trailer for Oppenheimer?

A one-minute trailer is shown exclusively in theaters ahead of Jordan Peele's Nope. The trailer was released online a week later on July 28, 2022.

The full trailer for this film was released in theaters exclusively ahead of the IMAX screening of Avatar: Way of Water.

Various edited versions of the official trailer were released online on December 18, 2022. This trailer, narrated by Cillian Murphy, teases a movie about Christopher Nolan's Nuke, with Ludwig Goransson's score, feels like that.

Who is the Creative Team Behind Oppenheimer?

As previously stated, Christopher Nolan directed and wrote the screenplay. The acclaimed filmmaker also reunited with some of his previous collaborators. Academy Award winner Ludwig Göransson, who composed Tenet's score, will score for Oppenheimer. Hoyte van Hoytema, cinematographer on Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet, serves as the film's director of photography. Another returnee from Nolan's Tenet team is editor Jennifer Lamey, who also worked on films like "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," "Manchester by the Sea" and "Marriage Story."

Nolan's wife, Emma Thomas, produced the film along with her husband and Charles Roven, who worked with Nolan on the Dark Knight trilogy.

Who Plays Who in the Oppenheimer Cast?

Christopher Nolan's frequent collaborator Cillian Murphy (Batters) will play J. Robert Oppenheimer himself. Killian has previously worked with Nolan on The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, and most recently, Dunkirk.

Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place) reunites with her A Quiet Place 2 co-star Murphy as Katherine Oppenheimer. Catherine was an activist and scientist, and one of Oppenheimer's many ties to the communists Thought.

Matt Damon joins the cast as Lieutenant General Leslie Groves. Groves was the military director of the Manhattan Project, and he also oversaw the construction of the Pentagon.

It was announced that Robert Downey Jr. had joined the film as Lewis Strauss. In late 1940, Strauss and Oppenheimer found themselves on opposite sides in a debate over the development of the hydrogen bomb. Like Oppenheimer, Strauss later served as chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

Florence Pugh (Black Widow) will play Jean Tatlock. Tatlock was one of several points of contact between Oppenheimer and Communism, and the two were involved in an affair that would be on and off for years.

It was also announced that Academy Award winner Rami Malek would play a scientist and director/actor Benny Safdie (Goodtime) would play Edward Teller, the man who helped build the first hydrogen bomb. Hungarian physicist.

Oppenheimer also had a large ensemble, which included Josh Hartnett (Penny the Horror) as Ernest Lawrence, Dane DeHaan (Chronicle), Jack Quaid (The Boys ), Matthew Modine (Stranger Things) as Vannevar Bush, Dylan Arnold (Halloween) as Frank Oppenheimer, Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), as Richard Feynman, David Krumholtz (Santa Claus) as Isidor Isaac Rabbi, Michael Angarano (Laputa) as Robert Se Erber, Kenneth Branagh ("Death on the Nile"), David Dustermarchian ("Suicide Squad"), Jason Clarke ("The Age of Victory: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty"), Josh Peck (Drake and Josh) as Kenneth Bainbridge, Devin Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) as Seth Nedmeyer, Alex Waugh Ralph (Hereditary), Tony Godwin (King Richard), Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) as Harry S. Truman, Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Kurt Grimes (The Orville), Josh Zuckerman (The Offer), James D'Arcy (Dunkirk), Matthias Schweigoff (Undead Legion), Christopher Denham (Gilded Age) as Klaus Fox, David Risdal (No Way Out), Guy Burnett (Pitch Perfect 3 as Guy Eltenton), Danny DeFerrari ( Baby Shiva) as Enrico Fermi, Louise Lombard (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), Harrison Gilbertson (Need for Speed), Emma Dumont (Licorice Pizza) as Jackie Oppenheimer, Gustaf Skarsgård (Victoria Beijinger) as Hans Bethe, Trond Fausa (Lily Hammer), Ollie Huskivie (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Olivia Thirlby (Juno).

When Is Oppenheimer Set to Be Released?

Shortly after Universal Studios announced their deal as the new distributor for the director's films, they announced that his new film would be released on July 21, 2023. Oppenheimer will be released exclusively in theaters, and It will be available in standard digital cinema projection as well as IMAX, 70mm and 35mm formats. The film will have its counterpart in another star-studded blockbuster in Greta Gerwig's Barbie.

Nolan was also one of the most outspoken supporters of celluloid films and the screen experience. In March 2020, he penned an op-ed for The Washington Post about movies and the magic of movie theaters. In "Side By Side," a documentary that dissects the differences between celluloid and digital cameras, his comments reveal that he is a film purist. His commitment permeated the distribution of his pictures, and he secured a limited release of the original film - Ara Quentin Tarantino. Nolan and Warner are sticking with Tenet's summer release even as nearly every other movie in 2020 has been canceled. It didn't save cinemas when Warner Bros. was forced to release it in August 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it's another exciting and action-packed film from the Brit. It was his lowest-grossing film since The Prestige.

After Warner Bros. announced plans to have their films premiere on the same-day streaming service on HBOMax, Nolan and other creators, as well as theater companies themselves, than unhappy. He tore up the decision and service to call HBOMax "the worst streaming service out there." In an interview with "Entertainment Tonight," he said, "...they're not telling anybody. In 2021, they've got some of the top filmmakers in the world, they've got some of the greatest stars in the world, they've worked for years, In some cases, these projects are very close to their heart, and these projects are meant to be big screen experiences. They were meant to be for as many viewers as possible... Now they are used as loss leaders for streaming services - for a just Started streaming service — no consultation. So, a lot of controversy. Very, very, very, very, messy. A real bait and switch."

The director parted ways with Warners shortly thereafter, becoming one of the most popular on the market. Hot free agent. Even Netflix has gone out of its way to court the streaming service's naysayers, with Scott Stuber, its film director, saying: "He's an amazing filmmaker. I'm going to do whatever I can." But Nolan has partnered with Universal Pictures to release his latest film. The studio allegedly won favor by promising a six-week blackout around the film's release date, while other Universal properties would not. was released, along with the promise of 100 days of exclusive theatrical release.

"Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas' film pushes the limits of what cinematic storytelling can achieve," said Universal Pictures Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley in a statement. "We are delighted to be working with them on this remarkable and remarkable project and thank them for their shared passion and commitment to theatrical experience."

Stay tuned on Collider as news continues to flow about Christopher Nolan's latest photos View all information on Oppenheimer. and airs exclusively on the big screen on July 21, 2023.