Oppenheimer: Release Date, Cast And Other Things We Know About The Christopher Nolan Movie (2024)

There are few 20th-century scientists whose names are as recognizable or carry as much weight as J. Robert Oppenheimer (also known as the “father of the atomic bomb”), the theoretical physicist at the center of the Manhattan Project. In a few months’ time, the historical figure from World War II who changed the world in the blink of an eye, will

with none other than Christopher Nolan in the director's chair.

If this is the first you’re hearing about Oppenheimer, which has a cast featuring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., and Matt Damon, worry not, because we have an extensive list of things we already know about this

, his 12th directorial effort, and second film set in the Second World War. This includes, but is not limited to, the release date, the rest of the actors set to appear, and how the visionary filmmaker pulled off what could be the most daring on-screen explosion with old school, practical effects.

To lead his next project, Nolan has turned to Cillian Murphy, who is set to portray J. Robert Oppenheimer in his sixth collaboration with the filmmaker since being cast as Dr. Jonathan Crane in 2005’s Batman Begins. Only Michael Caine has worked with Nolan more over the years, though Murphy could eclipse the eight appearances by the acting legend, who announced his retirement in 2021. Murphy will be joined by his A Quiet Place Part II co-star Emily Blunt, who will take on the role of the famed physicist’s wife, Katherine Oppenheimer, according to

.

But, that is just the beginning of

, as the highly-anticipated biographical drama will also see the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Jason Clark, Jack Quaid, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Hartnett, Matthew Modine, Josh Peck, and even Gary Oldman, who is set to portray former United States President Harry S. Truman, as reported by

.

In September 2021, word began to circulate that

would be centered on J. Robert Oppenheimer, though details were being kept under wraps at the time. A lot has changed since then, and Variety has confirmed that Oppenheimer will center on the man who headed up the Manhattan Project, the iconic group of scientists and military leaders who developed the first atom bomb, a technology that was used to the destroy the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and all but ended World War II in August 1945.

The epic drama is based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, with the screenplay adapted by Nolan himself.

Starting with the 2002 release of Insomnia, every Christopher Nolan movie has been distributed by Warner Bros. That relationship, however, began to sour following the 2020 release of Tenet and studio’s decision to make all of its 2021 movies available on HBO Max the same day as in theaters, with Nolan later saying he would be “unlikely” to work with Warner Bros. in the future.

While it remains to be seen if the breakup will stick as the years go by, Nolan has already moved, and will take his talents to Universal Pictures. In September 2021, TheWrap reported that Oppenheimer (which was still untitled at the time) would be the first Nolan film in more than 20 years to not be released by Warner Bros.

Oppenheimer has a production budget of $100 million, which is the smallest out of any of Christopher Nolan’s movies since The Prestige, which cost Warner Bros. approximately $40 million to produce (not counting marketing), per BoxOfficeMojo.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, when Nolan was meeting with various studio heads in 2021 to see where he would take his next project, Universal Pictures agreed to the $100 million production budget as well as an equal marketing spend, which will bring the entire project up to around $200 million by the time everything is said and done. But, that’s not all Universal gave Nolan…

As part of that same deal, Universal agreed to give the filmmaker 20 percent of the first-dollar gross (meaning he’ll start making money as soon as the first tickets are sold), a guaranteed 100-day theatrical run, and a blackout period in which the studio cannot release another movie three weeks before or after Oppenheimer begins its theatrical run.

In addition to working with Cillian Murphy and other actors in the Oppenheimer cast, Nolan will also be calling in some of his other go-to collaborators for work behind the scenes. In October 2021, Deadline announced that Nolan’s wife and co-producer, Emma Thomas, would be working on the film, as would Charles Roven, who produced the Dark Knight trilogy.

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who served as the director of photography of Nolan’s previous three films, will be sitting behind the camera once again for the director’s upcoming project. Editor Jennifer Lame and composer Ludwig Göransson, who previously worked with Nolan on Tenet, will both be back for their second production with the filmmaker.

Philip Sledge

Content Writer

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.