The first look at Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer indicates that the biopic about the scientist behind Project Manhattan could be the actor's best Nolan film yet. Two years after Tenet's troubled theatrical run, Christopher Nolan returns to the spotlight now with the filming of Oppenheimer, a movie scheduled for 2023 and which will mark Nolan's first production at Universal. In addition to Murphy, Oppenheimer will feature other long-time Nolan collaborators such as Michael Caine and Kennet Branagh as well as big names such as Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., and Matt Damon.
Oppenheimer will be Christopher Nolan's second movie to tackle real-life events, something not so common in a career filled with time travel and mind-bending plots. Oppenheimer will tell the story of Robert Oppenheimer and his days at the helm of Project Manhattan, and it promises to be a different style of a biopic than what audiences are used to. Cillian Murphy will play the scientist in what will be his sixth film under Nolan’s direction.
Although Murphy has been collaborating with Nolan since 2005, Oppenheimer will be the first time that the actor will have a leading role in one of the director's films. Christopher Nolan has expressed his appreciation for Cillian Murphy many times, but until now Murphy’s roles in Nolan’s films were either supporting characters or cameos. Not only will Murphy finally get more screen time, but the complexity of a part like Robert Oppenheimer's will also allow the actor to deliver his best performance in a Nolan film yet. While only a simple black and white photo of Murphy as Robert Oppenheimer has been released, it is already possible to observe the sensitivity and dedication that the actor will bring to the role.
The possibilities that Cillian Murphy being at the center of a Nolan film bring are exciting. The biggest role that the actor has had in a Nolan film so far was Batman Begins, in which Murphy managed to stand out even though he was not the main villain of the story. Scarecrow would return for quick cameos in the other two movies of the Dark Knight trilogy - proof that Nolan's appreciation for the actor never waned. In the years between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, Cillian Murphy would also play an important role in Inception, a film in which his character's emotional journey was a key element to the plot. Nolan's first non-fiction work, Dunkirk, also featured Murphy in a small but tragic role. None of those parts, however, come close to what will be asked of Murphy in Oppenheimer.
Adapting Robert Oppenheimer's life story will be no easy task for Christopher Nolan, and that might explain the director's choice for Cillian Murphy as the lead actor. Nolan will have in his longtime collaborator the certainty of an incredible performance, and will only have to worry about how to get the best out of him and others in the cast. For Murphy, Oppenheimer will be an opportunity to combine the scale of a Christopher Nolan movie with the sensibility of other roles the actor has played throughout his career.
