Christopher Nolan calls OPPENHEIMER stars Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. two of the greatest actors of all time

Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan (Start, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Principle) is working on his next big story set with the upcoming film Oppenheimerwhich will tell the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), the scientist who managed the Manhattan Project which 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 rest of the cast includes Emilia Blunt as biologist and botanist Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Manhattan Project director Leslie Groves Jr., e Robert Downey Jr. as founding commissioner of the US Atomic Energy Commission Lewis Strauss.

Florence Pug will play psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie will play theoretical physicist Edward Teller e Josh Hartnett will embody pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence. The film is also the protagonist Rami Malek, Gary Oldmann, Michael Angarano, Alden Ehrenreich, Kenneth Branagh, Olivia Thirlby, And Matthew Modino.

In a recent interview with Total Film in the upcoming 2023 preview issue (via gamesradar), Nolan sings Murphy and Downey Jr.’s praises, saying before Murphy:

“I’ve always known ever since I first met him — many years ago that’s now, nearly 20 years anyway — that he’s one of the great actors, not just of his generation, but of all time. And I’ve been waiting for the project, and I know he has too, where we can collaborate with him as the lead, and I was able to put the biggest weight – the cinematic weight – on his shoulders and watch him carry that burden. Being able to call Cillian and say, ‘This that’s all.'”

He continued:

“We all know Robert Downey Jr. is one of the great movie stars. It’s so easy to forget that he’s also one of the greatest actors of all time. Watching him get lost in that performance and completely lost in a character in that way, is It was just an amazing reminder of what an amazing actor he is.”

I agree that both Murphy and Downey Jr. are amazing actors, and it’s great that they’re giving such a great performance in this film. Oppenheimer will be released in theaters on July 21, 2023.