Cillian Murphy opens up on OPPENHEIMER and says he ‘was desperate’ to direct a Christopher Nolan film

Christopher Nolan AND Cillian Murphy have had a long and successful working relationship over the years with the Batman trilogy, Start, Dunkirkand now the next Oppenheimer movie, that looks amazing!

Oppenheimer it’s Murphy’s first time taking the lead role in a Nolan film, and that’s something he’s desperately wanted for a long time. He takes on the role of theoretical physicist and “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer, and in a recent interview with the Associated Press, the actor explained:

“I’ve always said publicly and privately to Chris that if I’m available and you want me to be in a movie, I’m in it. I don’t really care about the portion size. But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a role for him.

Murphy was offered the lead role in the film over a cold call from Nolan, and speaking of how it turned out, Murphy said:

“He’s so understated and self-deprecating and, in his very English way, he just said, ‘Listen, I wrote this script, it’s about Oppenheimer. I wish you were my Oppenheimer.’ It was a great day… We have this long standing understanding, trust, shortcut and respect. It seemed like the right time to take on greater responsibility. And it so happened that it was huge.

There is no doubt that Murphy was over the moon after Nolan offered him the role, but he also realized that this is a huge responsibility. The actor went on to say:

“You realize that this is a big responsibility. It was complicated, contradictory and so iconic. But you know you’re with one of the greatest directors of all time. I felt confident going through it with Chris. He has had a profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. He offered me very interesting roles and I found them all really challenging. And I love being on his sets.

“The question will be how Chris presents it. I think people will be very surprised and amazed by what he does. Anything I will say will seem a bit boring compared to seeing it in an IMAX theater.

The film is based on the 2005 book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, and the story centers on the scientist who ran the Manhattan Project that led to the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II. The film has been described as an “epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the heart-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world to save it.”

The film looks amazing and we will soon have a new trailer. I recently saw the upcoming trailer at CinemaCon and you can watch our reaction video here.

Murphy is joined in the film by Emilia Blunt as biologist and botanist, Kitty Oppenheimer; Robert Downey Jr. as founding commissioner of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Lewis Strauss; Matt Damon as Manhattan Project director Leslie Groves Jr.; Florence Pug as psychiatrist Jean Tatlock; Benny Safdie as theoretical physicist Edward Teller; AND Josh Hartnett as pioneered by American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence. The film is also the protagonist Rami Malek, Gary Oldmann, Michael Angarano, Olivia Thirlby, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, David Krumholtz, Kenneth Branagh, AND David Dastmalchian.

Oppenheimer will be released in theaters on July 21, 2023.