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Oppenheimer is a 2023 epic biographical thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt as Kitty, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, the director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, a senior member of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and Oppenheimer's main accuser. The ensemble supporting cast includes Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh. The film was filmed in a combination of IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm large-format film, including sections in IMAX black-and-white film photography. It is Nolan's first film to receive an R-rating since Insomnia (2002).
Synopsis[]
Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film chronicles the career of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is widely regarded as the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the Manhattan Project, the World War II project that developed the first nuclear weapons. The film also explores Oppenheimer's personal life, his relationship with his wife Kitty, his involvement in the politics of the atomic age, and his eventual downfall due to his 1954 security hearing, which resulted in his loss of security clearance and ostracism from the scientific community.
Cast[]
- Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
- Emily Blunt as Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer
- Matt Damon as Gen. Leslie Groves
- Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss
- Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock
- Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence
- Casey Affleck as Boris Pash
- Rami Malek as David L. Hill
- Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr
- Benny Safdie as Edward Teller
- Jason Clarke as Roger Robb
- Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer
- Tom Conti as Albert Einstein
- James D'Arcy as Patrick Blackett
- David Dastmalchian as William L. Borden
- Dane DeHaan as Maj Gen. Kenneth Nichols
- Alden Ehrenreich as a Senate aide to Lewis Strauss
- Tony Goldwyn as Gordon Gray
- Jefferson Hall as Haakon Chevalier
- David Krumholtz as Isidor Isaac Rabi
- Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush
- Gustaf Skarsgård as Hans Bethe
- Michael Angarano as Robert Serber
- Jack Quaid as Richard Feynman
- Josh Peck as Kenneth Bainbridge
- Olivia Thirlby as Lilli Hornig
- Christopher Denham as Klaus Fuchs
- David Rysdahl as Donald Hornig
- Louise Lombard as Ruth Tolman
- Harrison Gilbertson as Philip Morrison
- Trond Fausa Aurvåg as George Kistiakowsky
- Olli Haaskivi as Edward Condon
- Devon Bostick as Seth Neddermeyer
- Macon Blair as Lloyd K. Garrison
- Kurt Koehler as Thomas A. Morgan
- Josh Zuckerman as Giovanni Rossi Lomanitz
- Alex Wolff as Luis Walter Alvarez
- Guy Burnet as George Eltenton
- Emma Dumont as Jackie Oppenheimer
- Jack Cutmore-Scott as Security Officer Lyall Johnson
- Scott Grimes as Counsel
- Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman
- Hap Lawrence as Lyndon B. Johnson
- Harry Groener as Sen. Gale W. McGee
- Gregory Jbara as Chairman Warren Magnuson
- Tim DeKay as Sen. John Pastore
- James Remar as Secretary of War Henry Stimson
- Danny Deferrari as Enrico Fermi
- Máté Haumann as Leo Szilard
- Matthias Schweighöfer as Werner Heisenberg
- James Urbaniak as Kurt Gödel
- Rory Keane as Hartland Snyder
Production[]
Oppenheimer was announced in September 2021 after Universal Pictures won a bidding war for Nolan's screenplay, following Nolan's conflict with longtime distributor Warner Bros. Pictures over their decision to release their 2021 slate simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters. Murphy was the first cast member to sign on the following month, portraying Oppenheimer, with the rest of the cast joining between November 2021 and April 2022. Pre-production was underway by January 2022, with filming taking place from February to May in various locations, including Los Angeles, New Mexico, London, and Paris. The film used extensive practical effects and minimal computer-generated imagery, as per Nolan's preference.
Release[]
Oppenheimer premiered at Le Grand Rex in Paris on July 11, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States and the United Kingdom on July 21, 2023, by Universal Pictures. Its simultaneous release with Warner Bros.' Barbie led to the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon on social media, which encouraged audiences to see both films as a double feature. Oppenheimer has grossed over $552 million worldwide on a $100 million production budget and received critical acclaim, with particular praise for its cast, screenplay, visuals, and historical accuracy. It has been considered one of Nolan's best films and one of the best films of 2023.