It will officially begin on January 23rd when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announce the Oscar nominees, with the 96th Oscars Ceremony scheduled for March 10th.
Moviefone is making its Oscar nomination predictions for the major categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, ahead of the nominee announcements on January 23rd.
Let’s begin!
BEST PICTURE
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Preview:
‘28 Years Later’ will pick up the story of the classic horror pic.
Boyle will direct with Garland writing.
The aim is to launch a new trilogy.
Back in 2002, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland breathed new life into the zombie genre by creating ‘28 Days Later’, which saw Cillian Murphy starring as a man who wakes up from a coma to discover that London –– and the world –– has been overtaken by a virus that turns its victims into rage-filled monsters who savage their victims.
While the “Z” word is never used, the Infected, for all their fast speed are certainly a take on the genre.
‘28 Days Later’ was followed directly by 2007’s ‘28 Weeks Later’, which was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, with Boyle and Garland only involved as executive producers.
Now, though, after years of the filmmaking pair talking up the idea of another sequel to the original, it appears they’ve officially come up with a concept they like.
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What’s happening with the new ‘28 Days Later’ sequel?
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boyle and Garland are now ready to pitch a movie called ‘28 Years Later’. While the plot is being kept under wraps for now, the title points to picking up the story decades after the original and seeing what has happened to the country since then. We’re guessing nothing good, but with Boyle and Garland involved, it’ll be entertaining finding out.
As of right now, the plan is for Boyle to direct the new movie and Garland to write it. And it’s not just an idea for one movie –– the pair has plans to make a new trilogy based on the concept with Garland writing all three and a planned $75 million budget per movie. Given that his own filmmaking career has evolved since then (his latest movie as a director, ‘Civil War’ is out this April), there’s a chance Garland might step up to direct one of the others.
As of right now, Garland and Boyle are, via their agency WME, pitching the idea to studios and streamers, so we’d expect there to be plenty of interest given the known concept and the fact that the people behind the original movie are once more involved.
Who knows –– if this one is a success, we could see yet another resurgence for the genre, which could use some new ideas after years of ‘The Walking Dead’.
What’s next for Boyle and Garland?
Boyle is working on an action-adventure short film called ‘Methuselah’, while, as mentioned, Garland’s ‘Civil War’ will be in theaters on April 26th.
(L to R) Cillian Murphy (as J. Robert Oppenheimer) and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
Christopher Nolan’s historical biopic was not only a box-office powerhouse but also delivered compelling performances and stunning visuals.
The film chronics J. Robert Oppenheimer‘s career from the beginning of his studies to his role in the Manhattan Project to the 1954 security hearing. The film used color to differentiate between Oppenheimer’s point of view and Lewis Strauss’ point of view – with color representing Oppenheimer and black and white for Strauss. The difference in color also depicts their personality, where Oppenheimer sees the world in bright colors, while Strauss sees it in black and white.
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The official synopsis for ‘Oppenheimer’ is below:
“During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.”
Who Is In The Cast of ‘Oppenheimer’?
Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
The film did not use any CGI or VFX to recreate the Trinity Test blast. As we saw with Nolan’s 2020 film ‘Tenet’, the director has always had a knack for creating realistic and explosive moments on film with practical effects. To recreate the atomic bomb detonation, Nolan worked with cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema to capture the explosion on film.
Working closely with special effects supervisor Scott Fisher and visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, they first ran tests by dropping silver particles in an aquarium.
“We built aquariums with powers in it. We dropped silver particles in it. We had molded metallic balloons which were lit up from the inside. We had things slamming and smashing into one another, such as ping-pong balls, or just had objects spinning,” said Van Hoytema.
The explosion was captured in in close-up at variable frame rates, combined with Van Joytema’s IMAX cinematography which filled the screen with an image that is both beautiful and deadly. When this moment is played in the theaters, the film goes silent as the detonation flashes before the deafening blast shakes and resonates in everyone’s core.
(L to R) Tom Conti is Albert Einstein and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
‘Oppenheimer’ held its world premiere on July 11, 2023, at Le Grand Rex in Paris. The film was released domestically on July 21 in formats such as IMAX 70mm, stand 70mm, and 35mm. The film was released simultaneously as Warner Bros.’s ‘Barbie’, creating the internet phenomenon known as “Barbieheimer.”
‘Oppenheimer’ earned over $82.4 million on its opening weekend and has since grossed over $322.4 million domestically and $933.8 million worldwide, making it the 2nd highest-grossing R-rated movie. ‘Oppenheimer’ has a total runtime of 3 hours.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Oppenheimer’ below:
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While some theaters are still playing the movie, options are limited as the film has passed its 45-day theatrical window. Currently, there is no word on when the historical biopic will be released on digital or streaming. ‘Barbie’, which was released at the same time as ‘Oppenheimer’, is already available on digital. However, it is possible the film remains in theater longer as Nolan requested a longer theatrical window.
If the film were to follow the release schedule of Universal’s ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’, arriving on its streaming service Peacock 120 days after its theatrical release. That could mean ‘Oppenheimer’ would be available on streaming by mid-November.
(L to R) Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
We’re used to celebrity name combos –– your “Bennifer” etc. But movies of such different styles being treated as a duo? That really doesn’t happen very often. And yet here we are with “Barbenheimer”.
The pop cultural sensation of moviegoers choosing a double bill of ‘Barbie’ and the ‘Oppenheimer’ (trust us when we say, it’s best to start with Christopher Nolan’s weighty, thoughtful exploration of the father of the Atomic Bomb before moving on to Greta Gerwig’s fun, colorful comedy, which despite appearances has some satire and real intelligence of its own) has also been igniting the box office to successful effect.
Both of the movies opened big, and both have held on to huge swathes of their audiences as film fans kept turning out to experience them.
Greta Gerwig’s subtle satire of gender relations and product placement is the biggest film of the moment and could well end up as the most successful of the year, on track to become one of –– if not the only –– billion-dollar movie in 2023.
‘Barbie’ opened with $150 million, and continued to play well through the following week, crowds turning out consistently. It doesn’t hurt that many kids are on summer vacation and the movie has family appeal.
Second weekends can increasingly be tough for movies that open wide and successfully, but Gerwig’s movie rose to the latest challenge, adding an impressive $93 million in its sophomore three-day segment, a 43% drop from its debut and representing the seventh biggest second weekend in history. It’s up there with the giant likes of the more successful modern ‘Star Wars’ films and some of Marvel’s ‘Avengers’ titles.
As it stands right now, ‘Barbie’ has more than $750 million in the bank globally and is the third biggest movie of the year so far.
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’Oppenheimer’s No Bomb
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Nolan’s film, meanwhile, is also doing spectacularly for the director and for studio Universal, which took the chance to snag his services after he was displeased with the treatment of fellow filmmakers by former Hollywood home Warner Bros. during the pandemic.
‘Oppenheimer’ opened to $80.5 million, a feat for a three-hour movie with a darker, mature subject matter and complex tone. And, like ‘Barbie’, it has continued to perform, becoming the first R-rated film to gross more than $10 million for seven days in a row on Friday.
Its own second weekend was similarly impressive, the Cillian Murphy-starring movie dropping just 44% for $46.6 million this past weekend. All in all, the movie has earned more than $400 million at the worldwide box office.
“Weekend two proves the outpouring of interest in ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ a week ago was not a fluke. Both films put up second weekend numbers that would have been considered solid as debuts and reflect two of the best sophomore session holds in box office history.”
Such was the impact of that one-two punch that new releases had trouble making it into the charts. Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’ (the latest adaptation of the classic theme park ride) could only muster $24.6 million in third, which isn’t that great for a movie costing $150 million to make and millions more to promote. Yet while horror movie ‘Talk To Me’ opened sixth, its far smaller $4.5 million budget means a $10 million opening is counted as more of a success.
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
The haggard face of J. Robert Oppenheimer, taking a long draw on a cigarette, has already locked down a resounding victory in the great meme sweepstakes of Summer 2023, serving as downbeat, black-and-white counterpoint to the beaming radiance and saturated pink hues of ‘Barbie.’ But could ‘Oppenheimer‘ star Cillian Murphy actually pop up as Ken in a ‘Barbie’ sequel? Sure, according to the Irish actor himself.
With opening weekend in the rearview mirror, the double feature of “Barbenheimer” — half grassroots campaign, half savvy contrivance — has proven to be a huge success, the rising tide of interwoven promotional campaigns for two very different films clearly lifting the commercial fortunes of each. Universal’s ‘Oppenheimer,’ from filmmaker Christopher Nolan, grossed $82 million domestically and around $174 million across the globe. Meanwhile, ‘Barbie,’ distributed by Warner Bros., raked in an astounding $162 million within the United States and $337 million worldwide.
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Nolan’s film, needless to say, doesn’t particularly lend itself to the notion of sequels. But as part of a lucrative deal with toy manufacturer Mattel, Warner Bros. surely has visions of a healthy, long-lasting ‘Barbie’ franchise.
There would be many different ways to spin things for a sequel, starting with whether director Greta Gerwig (and cowriter and real-life partner Noah Baumbach) wanted to stay involved. But one possibility that has gotten a good bit of traction — with a certain amount of encouragement and trial-balloon-floating from Warner Bros., one feels — is the idea of a spinoff focusing on Ken. Or, more accurately, Kens, plural.
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Where Would “Science Ken” Fit in a Shared Barbie Universe?
(L to R) Kinsley Ben-Adir, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and Ncuti Gatwa in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
In Gerwig’s film, Ryan Gosling stars as “Beach Ken” opposite Margot Robbie, who portrays the “stereotypical version” of the title character. Different variants of Ken are also portrayed by Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa and, yes, even John Cena. In praising not only Gosling’s performance but especially a choreographed dance number featuring the Kens, critics have noted some seemingly unique avenues of narrative opportunity.
During a recent conversation with Omelete, Murphy was asked if he would be open to starring as a Ken in a potential ‘Barbie’ sequel. “Would I play a Ken in Barbie 2? Sure, yeah — let’s read the script, let’s have a conversation,” said Murphy with a smile.
Murphy’s answer may, on the face of it, seem surprising to fans of the actor, best known for a variety of intense and smoldering characters, from ‘28 Days Later‘ and ‘Red Eye‘ to ‘The Wind That Shakes the Barley‘ and ‘Peaky Blinders’ — as well as his five previous collaborations with Nolan, including Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in the director’s ‘Dark Knight‘ trilogy.
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Still, those gleefully rubbing their palms together in anticipation of seeing Murphy get to flex his under-showcased comedic chops (and maybe even decked out in rollerblades and garish, neon-print fashion) shouldn’t commence with fan art just yet. Step one on the path toward his potential participation is finding the time to actually catch ‘Barbie.’
“I can’t wait to see it — I can’t wait to see the movie,” said Murphy, acknowledging that he’s been a bit busy with his own promotional duties on behalf of ‘Oppenheimer.’ “I think it’s great for cinema to get all these great movies happening this summer.”
Who knows — with a little luck, Murphy may, a couple summers hence, finally find himself on the smiling side of a meme.
(Center) Simu Liu in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
The “Barbenheimer” sensation set a box office record this past weekend as fans spill into the theaters for both movies. With endless memes on the internet and fans planning their double-feature viewing strategy for ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’, the phenomenon has set the weekend box office on fire. Showing up in a sea of pink for Greta Gerwig’s latest film, ‘Barbie’ opened to $155 million. Not to be outdone, Christopher Nolan’s visually stunning ‘Oppenheimer’ follows with $80.5 million on opening day.
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The massive box office number is due to audiences refusing to choose one or the other, making their double feature an event of the summer. As the “Barbenheimer’ trend continues to grow on social media, many small businesses leaned into the theme, creating shirts and accessories to celebrate the release. Fans show off their outfit changes as they go from one movie to the next. Star of ‘Barbie’ Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig have also shown their support by posing for a photo in front of a poster of ‘Oppenheimer’ with tickets in hand.
‘Barbie’ also sets a record high for a movie by a female director, surpassing ‘Captain Marvel’ ($153.4 million) and ‘Wonder Woman’ ($103.3 million). Currently, both films are certified on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with ‘Barbie’ at 91% and ‘Oppenheimer’ at 94%. Worldwide, the movies have earned a combined $551.1 million, with ‘Barbie’ earning $337 million and ‘Oppenheimer’ earning $174.1 million.
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A New Record For AMC Entertainment
Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
Movie theaters struggled with attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have been slow to recover. The opening of both films sent masses to the theaters, setting the highest records since post-pandemic. According to AMC, Saturday was their busiest day since July of 2019. They recorded their fifth-highest single-day US ticket revenues in their 103-year history. AMC also recorded 87,000 members of their Stubs loyalty program members booked tickets for both movies over the weekend.
AMC CEO Adam Aron sends a personal congratulations to both films:
“AMC sends an enormous thank you and congratulations to Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and the entire team at Warner Bros., and to Christopher Nolan and the team at Universal Pictures. They’ve demonstrated that well-made, well-marketed films that captivate audiences can open on the same weekend and both enjoy great success.”
One of the main driving forces leading the audience into the theater is ‘Oppenheimer’ being shot with IMAX cameras and offered in formats such as IMAX 70MM. While it’s not the first movie to be shot with IMAX cameras, Nolan’s visionary storytelling and use of practical effects create a theatrical experience that cannot be duplicated at home.
It is likely for the “Barbeheimer” trend to continue well into the summer as fans continue to show up for their chance to see the movies.
Greta Gerwig attends the ‘Barbie’ Press Tour, Sydney Australia 2023. Photography by Caroline McCredie for Warner Bros/NBC Universal. Contact: jade.perry@nbcuni.com.
Christopher Nolan has crafted another masterpiece with an epic historical biopic that is as captivating as it is compelling. What begins as a character study eventually unfolds into an intriguing political mystery with unexpected twists and turns. Cillian Murphy gives the performance of his career as the conflicted and complicated J. Robert Oppenheimer, while Robert Downey Jr. also gives one of his finest performances to date as Lewis Strauss, Oppenheimer’s eventual adversary.
Story and Direction
Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
The three-hour long movie tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer from his early years studying physics in Germany, to eventually being recruited by the U.S. government to work on the Manhattan Project and the aftermath of the creation of the Atomic bomb. The story is mostly told in flashbacks from both Oppenheimer and Lewis Strauss’ points of views. Oppenheimer is defending his actions following WWII in a secret government meeting, while Strauss is addressing a Senate committee as he has been appointed to a cabinet position. We see the events as they unfold as memories for both characters, with Strauss’ in black and white, and Oppenheimer’s depicted in color, which also represents the characters personalities as Strauss sees the world in black and white while Oppenheimer sees bright colors.
Christopher Nolan is unarguably one of the most celebrated filmmakers of his generation and is known for making twisty movies like ‘Memento’ and ‘Inception,’ as well as historical documents like ‘Dunkirk,’ but ‘Oppenheimer’ excels because it does both at the same time and embraces everything Nolan does well. Nolan’s script is smart, cutting back and forth between both Oppenheimer and Strauss’ hearings and their individual flashbacks, and using that to frame the story of creating the Atom bomb. But the movie is also a political thriller, and has a ‘Usual Suspects’ level twist towards the end that you won’t see coming.
Nolan sets an epic tone for the film, which is grand in scope and design, and he gets the very best out of his ensemble cast. Nolan’s use of cutaways to visual effects of atoms, molecules, fire and stars representing thoughts running through Oppenheimer’s head were interesting but thankfully used sparingly. While the film is long at just about three-hours, it goes fast and Nolan uses the most of his time setting the stakes for the drama and allowing his cast room to breathe. The movie also looks gorgeous, thanks to Nolan and the work of cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy is best known for playing the Scarecrow in Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ movies and hasn’t really had the chance to show off his talents until now. As the title character Murphy delivers a strong and layered performance with authority that gives the movie a feeling of importance and urgency. Oppenheimer is driven, egotistical, brilliant, self-absorbed and conflicted, and Murphy conveys all of this with very little effort, giving a seamless performance. This is definitely the actors best work, and I would be surprised if he doesn’t get a lot of attention come awards season.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Performance
Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most popular actors of his generation, but after a decade of playing Iron Man, it’s easy to forget just how good a dramatic actor he is and this movie helps remind us of that. Despite the title, ‘Oppenheimer’ is almost as much Downey’s movie as it is Murphy’s, and the actor completely holds his own narrative well. While the two actors share few scenes together and Downey’s role is supporting, his character is pivotal to the story and the true antagonist of the film. In a career as impressive as Downey’s, it’s hard to say this is his best performance, but it’s certainly on the short list, and I’m starting the campaign now for Downey to get nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Supporting Cast
Matt Damon is Leslie Groves in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Nolan has always assembled incredible casts of actors for his projects, but the abundance of riches here is a bit embarrassing. The movie stars a who’s who of talented actors, and I of course can’t mention all of them, but I will say Matt Damon stands out. Damon plays Leslie Groves, the General that recruited Oppenheimer. The actor plays the role with a bit of his signature charm, which fits the otherwise serious military figure well. Damon also has good chemistry with Murphy, and the two characters forge a nice friendship together.
Surprisingly, Josh Hartnett, who’s been away from the big screen for some time makes a fantastic comeback as Ernest Lawrence, one of Oppenheimer’s colleagues. Hartnett gives a really strong performance opposite Murphy and is a wonderful addition to the cast. Benny Safdie and David Krumholtz also play colleagues of Oppenheimer and both actors bring a lot to their characters as well.
Josh Hartnett is Ernest Lawrence in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Florence Pugh also stands out and gives a very daring performance as Jean Tatlock, Oppenheimer’s first love. Pugh’s character is sweet and vulnerable, and you understand why he falls in love with her in the first place. But their story is also tragic, and Pugh’s tender performance gives her character a real voice in the movie.
Unfortunately, Emily Blunt’s performance as Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, did not work for me. The character was not as well-defined in the script as Jean, and while Blunt is a great actress and did her best in the role, her performance falls flat with her limited screen time. The chemistry between Oppenheimer and Kitty never quite works, especially in comparison to his relationship with Jean, but perhaps that was the point.
Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
(L to R) Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
I would imagine that this film will be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars next year. I’d be surprised if Nolan doesn’t get nominated as well for both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Depending on how the rest of the year shapes up, he’ll probably walk away with at least one of those awards. Nolan’s been nominated five times before and never won, and right now, this seems like the movie and the year where he might actually win.
I think Cillian Murphy has a great chance of being nominated for Best Actor, and certainly deserves it, but I’m really hoping that Robert Downey Jr. is rewarded for his incredible performance here, as well as his overall body of work. Florence Pugh also has a chance at a Best Supporting Actress nomination, but that will really rely on who the rest of the competition will be. I would also imagine the film will receive several technical nominations as well as cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema.
Final Thoughts
In the end, ‘Oppenheimer’ is another Christopher Nolan masterpiece. A movie that works both as a compelling historical biopic, and an intriguing political thriller with brilliant performances from Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.
‘Oppenheimer’ received 9.5 out of 10 stars
(L to R) Cillian Murphy (as J. Robert Oppenheimer) and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
Having famously switched his filmmaking operations to Universal from longtime home Warner Bros. after dissatisfaction with the straight-to-HBO handling of some movies and its treatment of ‘Tenet’, Christopher Nolan has been working away on his next movie, ‘Oppenheimer’.
Universal, naturally, is going all out to promote this one, including with this first, unusual teaser, which features fragments of footage from the film, some voice-over dialogue referring to its subject matter and an ominous countdown clock.
Some have speculated that it’s to the release date – but not in America, as those figures don’t sync up. But with the movie opening in Singapore the day before its Stateside release, it makes more sense.
Nolan here is adapting the Pulitzer Prize-winning book ‘American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer’ by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. It chronicles how he was part of the infamous Manhattan Project and played a key role in the creation of atomic weapons, yet later came to have complicated feelings about their deadly power. He lobbied for international control of nuclear power and opposed the creation of the even more destructive hydrogen bomb.
Cillian Murphy, a Nolan regular, plays Oppenheimer, who is glimpsed briefly in this first footage.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer’ written and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Emily Blunt is playing his wife, biologist, and botanist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, with Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project and Robert Downey, Jr. as Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
Florence Pugh will portray psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, who turns out to have a hidden agenda, while Benny Safdie plays theoretical physicist Edward Teller. Michael Angarano is physicist Robert Serber and Josh Hartnett plays pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.
Look, at this point it’s probably easier just to list the people who aren’t in Nolan’s latest. It might be the first end credits crawl in years where the cast runs for a longer time than the effects teams.
‘Oppenheimer’ sees Nolan tackling a historical subject again, and one that surely offers the opportunity for plenty of his terse dialogue and large-canvas visions. It won’t surprise you to learn that it has been shot and be and released on 65mm IMAX and large-format film. Providing the beautiful footage is another repeat Nolan colleague, director of photography Hoyte Van Hoytema, while composer Ludwig Göransson returns after scoring ‘Tenet’. A pulse-pounding biopic thriller with high stakes certainly feels like it could work well for Nolan.
‘Oppenheimer’ will be in theaters here from July 21st.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer’ written and directed by Christopher Nolan.
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On the heels of the latest casting news comes a first look at the movie – or at least the man playing the title character – Cillian Murphy is seen here sporting a hat and cigarette as Robert Oppenheimer, one of the scientists behind the bomb.
Nolan here is adapting the Pulitzer Prize-winning book ‘American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer’ by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. It chronicles how he was part of the infamous Manhattan Project and played a key role in the creation of atomic weapons, yet later came to have complicated feelings about their deadly power. He lobbied for international control of nuclear power and opposed the creation of the even more destructive hydrogen bomb.
Emily Blunt is playing his wife, biologist, and botanist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, with Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project and Robert Downey, Jr. as Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
Florence Pugh will portray psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, who turns out to have a hidden agenda, while Benny Safdie plays theoretical physicist Edward Teller. Michael Angarano is physicist Robert Serber and Josh Hartnett plays pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.
Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in ‘Death on the Nile.’ Photo Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.
We also don’t know who Branagh will be playing, but this marks his third time working with the director, after ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Tenet’. Still, the award for Most Frequent Collaborator surely goes to Murphy, who appears in ‘Batman Begins’, ‘The Dark Knight’, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Inception’ and ‘Dunkirk’.
‘Oppenheimer’ sees Nolan tackling a historical subject again, and one that surely offers the opportunity for plenty of his terse dialogue and large-canvas visions. It won’t surprise you to learn that it’ll be shot and released on 65mm IMAX and large-format film. Providing the beautiful footage is another repeat Nolan colleague, director of photography Hoyte Van Hoytema, while composer Ludwig Göransson returns after scoring ‘Tenet’. A pulse-pounding thriller with high stakes certainly feels like it could work well for Nolan.
For the first time in several movies, this won’t be released by Warner Bros. Following the less-than gigantic (partly because of its slot during the pandemic) box office for ‘Tenet’, Nolan and producing partner Emma Thomas opened this one up to rival studios, with Universal winning the rights to distribute, handing down a July 21, 2023 theatrical release date.
The upcoming sequel to 2018 horror hit “A Quiet Place” is making some significant changes, with one leading star bowing out of the project, and another coming in to take his place.
The good news is that it doesn’t appear that there will be too much delay caused by Henry’s exit, since his replacement has already been found: Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou will be taking on the actor’s part. The film also stars returning “A Quiet Place” cast members Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe, as well as series newcomer Cillian Murphy.
Writer-director John Krasinski — who also co-wrote and helmed the first flick — revealed last month that production had begun on the sequel. It’s unclear how much, if any, of the film will need to be reworked now that Hounsou has stepped in for Henry, though filmmakers have some wiggle room before the film’s release to figure things out.
“A Quiet Place Part II” is currently slated to hit theaters on March 20, 2020.
