Robert Downey Jr and Matt Damon join Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan’s next film will be Oppenheimer. A historical biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb.”

Nolan is reuniting with Cillian Murphy who will be playing Oppenheimer. They previously worked together on Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception and Dunkirk. Emily Blunt was already cast as Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, so there is A Quiet Place Part 2 reunion going on. They will now be joined by Robert Downey Jr and Matt Damon.

The new film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

Physicist and polymath, as familiar with Hindu scriptures as he was with quantum mechanics, J. Robert Oppenheimer – director of the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb – was the most famous scientist of his generation.

According to THR, Damon will play Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project, the U.S. research initiative that developed the first atomic bomb. Downey will play Lewis Strauss, the infamous chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission who initiated hearings that questioned Oppenheimer’s loyalty to the United States and famously had the scientist’s security clearance revoked.

Universal Pictures will make the $100 million film that is written by Nolan and produced by Emma Thomas, Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven and Nolan. Production will begin in early 2022.

“Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas’ films have shattered the limits of what cinematic storytelling can achieve,” said Universal Filmed Entertainment Group Chairman, Donna Langley. “We are thrilled to be working alongside them on this exceptional and extraordinary project and are grateful for their shared passion and commitment to the theatrical experience.”

The project has set a July 21, 2023, release date.

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