Cillian Murphy teases Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’: ‘I think people will be very surprised’

Christopher Rosen
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

“Barbie” isn’t the only big movie coming out on July 21. Set to arrive in theaters that same day is Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” the “Tenet” director’s biographical drama about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.

Anticipation is high for the Universal release – with many awards pundits already expecting the Nolan feature to factor heavily into the 2024 Oscars race. Speaking to the Associated Press, “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy did little to disabuse that notion. “I think people will be very surprised and wowed by what he does,” Murphy said of Nolan’s work on the film. “Anything I say will just seem a bit lame as compared to seeing this in an IMAX theater.”

More from GoldDerby

Based on the Oppenheimer biography “American Prometheus” with an adaptation written by Nolan himself, “Oppenheimer” features Murphy in the title role and surrounds the actor with an all-star list of names, including Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, and many more. This is the sixth time Murphy has starred in a Nolan project, following three Batman films, “Inception,” and “Dunkirk.” But “Oppenheimer” is the first time Murphy has played a lead role for the filmmaker, a responsibility he was more than willing to bear.

“I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I’m available and you want me to be in a movie, I’m there. I don’t really care about the size of the part,” Murphy said to the AP about his work with Nolan. “But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him.”

Footage from “Oppenheimer” has already wowed audiences – an IMAX trailer that has played before various 2023 features is of particular excellence. “I know of no more dramatic tale, with higher stakes, twists and turns, paradoxes,” Nolan said at CinemaCon last year in Las Vegas. “In learning about that story, I wanted to be in that room and see what that must have been like.”

“Oppenheimer” is out July 21.

PREDICT the 2023 Emmy nominees through July 12

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?

SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Best of GoldDerby

Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.