Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' finds lead in Cillian Murphy; all you need to know

Christopher Nolan's next project is being looked at with anticipation and excitement from his fans. And the information coming out for the venture might just intrigue the audiences. After reports of the filmmaker making a movie on the 'Father of the Atomic Bomb',  J Robert Oppenheimer, the project has found its lead actor. 

Cillian Murphy will play the coveted role in The Dark Knight director's venture. The movie reportedly has been titled Oppenheimer. The latest development confirmed reports at the time about the announcement of the film that the actor was the frontrunner for the role. 

Cilian Murphy to play lead role in Oppenheimer

As per a report on Variety, Cillian Murphy will step into the shoes of the American physicist who was involved in the Manhattan Project, the agreement on the development of atomic bombs as the head of Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II.

Murphy is known for his work in the movie Peaky Blinders. Nolan has cast the actor in multiple films together, including Batman Begins, Inception and Dunkirk. 

The movie is reported to be a historical epic. The budget of the film is said to be $100 million.

The rights to the story of Oppenheimer saw a bidding war, where Universal Pictures trumped the likes of Warner Bros, Sony and Paramount.

This is also the first time in two decades that Warner Bros lost out on a Christopher Nolan movie. The filmmaker had clashed with the studio over the hybrid releases of movies in theatres and steaming platform HBO Max due to COVID-19, though their last collaboration, Tenet became the first movie to release in theatres during the pandemic. 

Nolan has penned the screenplay of the movie. The premise has been taken from the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

Among the other members of the crew include technicians who have worked with Nolan before, like Director of Photography Hoyte Van Hoytema, music composer  Ludwig Göransson and editor Jennifer Lame

Oppenheimer release date

The production of the movie is set to start at the beginning of 2022. Oppenheimer is expected to release on July 21, 2023.