Kenneth Branagh will reconnect with Christopher Nolan on "Oppenheimer," following the Oscar-nominated triumph of "Belfast." They previously collaborated on "Dunkirk" and "Tenet." Branagh will play an undetermined role in the ambitious and costly biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic weapon. Branagh most recently appeared in "Death on the Nile" and was nominated for an Academy Award for directing, producing, and writing "Belfast."
Universal Pictures and Syncopy also confirmed on Tuesday that principal photography on the picture has begun, as well as a dark first look at star Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer. Murphy is shown in the photograph staring intensely while smoking a cigarette. That is undeniably true according to the historical record. Oppenheimer was a chain smoker who developed throat cancer.
"Oppenheimer," written and directed by Nolan, is produced by Emma Thomas, Atlas Entertainment's Charles Roven, and Nolan. It will be shot in a variety of locations across the United States, including New Mexico, California, and New Jersey. It's a vast production with a $100 million budget, making it the kind of sober-minded, serious epic that has become rare in the superhero era. When Nolan's "Dunkirk" arrived in 2017, it was an unlikely financial success, but it had a triumphant conclusion with British forces pulling off a remarkable escape that enabled the country to eventually triumph in the struggle against Nazism. Few would argue that the arrival of nuclear weapons has made the world a happier place, unless you enjoy the prospect of devastation.
"Oppenheimer" stars Emily Blunt as scientist and botanist Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Manhattan Project director Gen. Leslie Groves Jr., and Robert Downey, Jr. as Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Florence Pugh portrays psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie portrays theoretical physicist Edward Teller, Michael Angarano portrays Robert Serber, and Josh Hartnett portrays Ernest Lawrence, a pioneering American nuclear scientist. In addition to Rami Malek, Dane DeHaan, Dylan Arnold, David Krumholtz, Alden Ehrenreich, and Matthew Modine, "Oppenheimer" stars Rami Malek, Dane DeHaan, Dylan Arnold, David Krumholtz, Alden Ehrenreich, and Matthew Modine. Nolan employs a stock company of performers, with not only Branagh but also Murphy, Damon, and Modine returning as partners.
"Oppenheimer" will be distributed theatrically internationally by Universal Pictures and will be released in North American theaters on July 21, 2023. The film is based on Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin's Pulitzer Prize-winning book "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer."
