''Oppenheimer'' is an upcoming

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

written and directed by

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...

and starring

Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy (; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. Originally the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, he turned down a record deal in the late 1990s and began acting on stage and in short and ...

J. Robert Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer (; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. A professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is oft ...

, the American theoretical physicist credited with being the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

—the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

undertaking that developed the first

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

. A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, the film is based on ''

American Prometheus ''American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer'' is a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Twenty-five years in the making, the book was published in 2005 and was awarded the 2006 Pulitze ...

'', a biography written by

Kai Bird Kai Bird (born September 2, 1951) is an American author and columnist, best known for his works on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, United States-Middle East political relations and his biographies of political figures. He won a Pul ...

and

Martin J. Sherwin Martin Jay Sherwin (July 2, 1937October 6, 2021) was an American historian. His scholarship mostly concerned the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation. He served on the faculty at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvan ...

. The supporting cast includes

Emily Blunt Emily Olivia Leah Blunt (born 23 February 1983) is a British actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three British Academy Film Awards. ...

Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...

Rami Malek Rami Said Malek (; , ; born May 12, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for portraying computer hacker Elliot Alderson in the USA Network television series ''Mr. Robot'' (2015–2019), for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...

Florence Pugh Florence Pugh ( ; born 3 January 1996) is an English actress. She made her acting debut in 2014 in the drama film '' The Falling''. Pugh gained recognition in 2016 for her leading role as a young bride in the independent drama ''Lady Macbeth' ...

Benny Safdie Benjamin Safdie (born February 24, 1986) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor and film editor best known for working with his older brother Josh as a filmmaker, whose works include '' Good Time'' (2017) and '' Uncut Gems'' (2019). ...

Michael Angarano Michael Anthony Angarano (born December 3, 1987) is an American actor. He became known for his roles in the film '' Music of the Heart'' (1999) and the television series '' Cover Me'' (2000–2001), as well as for playing a recurring role as Ell ...

Josh Hartnett Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor and producer. He first came to attention in 1997 for his role as Michael Fitzgerald in the television crime drama series '' Cracker''. He made his feature film debut in 1998 in th ...

and

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus t ...

. It is a co-production between

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

Syncopy Inc. Syncopy Inc. is a production company founded by British-American film director, screenwriter and producer Christopher Nolan, and producer Emma Thomas. The name of the company is a play on syncopation, and was suggested to Nolan by his late ...

and

Atlas Entertainment Atlas Entertainment is an American film financing and production company, started by Charles Roven, Bob Cavallo and Dawn Steel in 1995. History In 1990, Charles Roven and partner Bob Cavallo formed Roven/Cavallo Entertainment. At the same tim ...

, with Nolan producing the film alongside

Emma Thomas Emma Thomas Nolan (born 9 December 1971) is an English film producer, known for frequent collaborations with her husband, filmmaker Christopher Nolan. Her producing credits include '' The Dark Knight Trilogy'' (2005–2012), ''The Prestige'' (2 ...

and

Charles Roven Charles Roven (born August 2, 1949) is an American film producer and the president and co-founder of Atlas Entertainment. He is known for producing the superhero films ''The Dark Knight Trilogy'', ''Suicide Squad'', '' Man of Steel'', '' Batman ...

. Nolan was announced to write and direct a biographical film about J. Robert Oppenheimer, set during World War II, with Universal Pictures being chosen as the distributor in September 2021. Much of the main cast signed on between September 2021 and April 2022. Pre-production was underway by January 2022, with filming beginning in late February 2022 and wrapped that May. It is filmed in a combination of

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

65mm and 65mm large-format film including, for the first time, sections in IMAX black and white

analog photography Analog photography, also known as film photography, is a catch-all term for photography that uses chemical processes to capture an image, typically on paper, film or a hard plate. These analog processes were the only methods available to phot ...

. Like his previous works, Nolan extensively used practical effects and minimum computer generated imageries. ''Oppenheimer'' is scheduled to be released globally on July 21, 2023, by Universal Pictures. It is Nolan's first film not to be distributed by Warner Bros. domestically or internationally since '' Memento'' (2000).

Premise

The film follows the life of theoretical physicist

, the director of the

Los Alamos Laboratory The Los Alamos Laboratory, also known as Project Y, was a secret laboratory established by the Manhattan Project and operated by the University of California during World War II. Its mission was to design and build the first atomic bombs. Ro ...

during the

, and his contributions that led to the creation of the

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

Cast

Production

Development

In December 2020,

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of liv ...

announced plans to give its 2021 films simultaneous releases in theaters and on

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the film industry.

, who had partnered with the studio on each one of his films starting with ''

Insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

'' (2002), expressed his disbelief with the decision. 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. Nolan had previously supported the studio's decision to give ''

Wonder Woman 1984 ''Wonder Woman 1984'' (also known as ''WW84'') is a 2020 American superhero film based on the DC character Wonder Woman. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, and The Stone Quarry, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pi ...

'' (2020) a simultaneous release, stating that he perceived this situation to have been handled properly, but said he had been excluded from any discussions regarding the postponed release of his film '' Tenet'' (2020). In September 2021, it was announced that Nolan would write and direct a biographical film set during

about

, creator of the

, with

in negotiations to star. Nolan approached multiple studios for the project, including

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, and

Apple Studios Apple Studios is an American film and television production company and a distributor that is a subsidiary of Apple Inc. It specializes in developing and producing television series and films for Apple's digital video streaming service Apple TV ...

due to his strained relationship with Warner Bros. According to insiders, Paramount was out of the selection early on in the wake of the replacement of CEO and Chairman

Jim Gianopulos James N. Gianopulos ( el, Δημήτρης Γιαννόπουλος) is an American businessman. He served as the head of 20th Century Fox and most recently as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Paramount Pictures until his ouster ...

with

Brian Robbins Brian Levine (born November 22, 1963), known professionally as Brian Robbins, is an American film executive, actor, and filmmaker who is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon. He also serves as C ...

, an advocate for increased streaming service releases. On September 14, it was confirmed that Universal would distribute the film, with production set to begin in the first quarter of 2022. 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 First-dollar gross is a practice in filmmaking in which the participant receives a percentage of the gross box-office revenue, starting from a film's first day of release. The participant begins sharing in the profits from the first ticket sale, n ...

, and a three-week period before and after the film's release in which Universal could not release another new film.

Casting

''Oppenheimer'' marks the sixth collaboration between Nolan and Murphy, and the first starring Murphy as the lead. To prepare for the role, the actor did what he summarized as "an awful lot of reading" on Oppenheimer's life. The casting process was so secretive that some of the actors did not know which role they were going to play until they signed on.

, and

took pay cuts to work on the film, earning $4 million each in lieu of their usual $10–20 million salaries.

Filming

Pre-production was underway by January 2022 in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, 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. Another casting call was held in February. Filming began in late February 2022, with

Hoyte van Hoytema Hoyte van Hoytema (; born 4 October 1971) is a Swiss-born Dutch-Swedish cinematographer who studied at the National Film School in Łódź. His work includes '' Let the Right One In'' (2008), ''The Fighter'' (2010), ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' ...

serving as cinematographer. In the second week of April, filming took place at the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

. The film uses a combination of

65 mm and 65 mm large-format film. It is also the first film to shoot sections in IMAX black and white

Gary Oldman Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy Fi ...

said he would be on set for a day in May for "one scene, a page and a half". Filming also occurred in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, primarily around the

campus of the University of California, Berkeley The campus of the University of California, Berkeley and its surrounding community are home to a number of notable buildings by early 20th-century campus architect John Galen Howard, his peer Bernard Maybeck (best known for the San Francisco Pal ...

. Filming wrapped after four months in May 2022. Filming involved the use of real explosives to recreate the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

nuclear test, forgoing the use of computer generated graphics.

Post-production

During post-production, editing will be completed by

Jennifer Lame Jennifer Lame is an American film editor best known for her work on Noah Baumbach's films. Lame is also notable for her work on '' Manchester by the Sea'', ''Hereditary'', ''Tenet'', '' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'', and '' Oppenheimer''. ...

, and the musical score will be composed by

Ludwig Göransson Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson (; ; born 1 September 1984) is a Swedish composer, conductor and record producer. He has scored films such as ''Fruitvale Station'', the ''Rocky'' franchise entries ''Creed'' and ''Creed II'', ''Venom'', and '' Ten ...

, who previously edited and scored ''Tenet'', respectively. Visual effects were handled by

DNEG DNEG (formerly known as Double Negative) is a British visual effects, computer animation, and stereo conversion studio that was founded in 1998 in London, and rebranded as DNEG in 2014 after a merger with Indian VFX company Prime Focus. The c ...

, marking their eighth collaboration with Nolan.

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

was the visual effects supervisor.

Release

''Oppenheimer'' is scheduled to be released theatrically on July 21, 2023, by Universal Pictures in IMAX 70mm, vertical 70 mm, and 35 mm. Considering the film's budget and marketing costs, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' stated that the film will need to gross at least $400 million worldwide to make a profit.

Marketing

A teaser trailer was released in July 2022, featuring a live countdown to 5:29 AM (MST) on July 16, 2023, the 78th anniversary of the first detonation of an atomic weapon; it premiered in screenings of '' Nope'' before being posted online on Universal's social media profiles. Two more trailers premiered in front of '' Avatar: The Way of Water'', one of which was exclusive to IMAX screenings.

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Film, United States, Biographies, War, World War II, Science Upcoming films 2023 films 2023 thriller films 2020s historical thriller films American epic films American historical thriller films British epic films British historical thriller films Atlas Entertainment films Cultural depictions of J. Robert Oppenheimer Films about the Manhattan Project Films based on biographies Films directed by Christopher Nolan Films produced by Christopher Nolan Films produced by Charles Roven Films produced by Emma Thomas Films scored by Ludwig Göransson Films set in New Mexico Films shot in California Films shot in New Jersey Films shot in New Mexico Films with screenplays by Christopher Nolan Syncopy Inc. films Thriller films based on actual events Universal Pictures films Upcoming English-language films War epic films 2020s English-language films 2020s American films 2020s British films