Christopher Nolan has been widely acknowledged as the king of practical filmmaking for well over a decade now; a reputation first established with functioning Batmobiles, rotating dreamscape-like corridors, and most recently, crashing a real-life Boeing 747. But the revelation that he recreated the Trinity nuclear explosions for his forthcoming World War II drama, Oppenheimer, without the help of CGI (and obviously without the actual nuclear element) surely takes the cake.
“I think recreating the Trinity test [the first nuclear weapon detonation] without the use of computer graphics, was a huge challenge to take on,” Christopher Nolan explained during his recent interview with Total Film (via Gamesradar).
“Andrew Jackson – my visual effects supervisor, I got him on board early on – was looking at how we could do a lot of the visual elements of the film practically, from representing quantum dynamics and quantum physics to the Trinity test itself, to recreating, with my team, Los Alamos up on a mesa in New Mexico in extraordinary weather, a lot of which was needed for the film, in terms of the very harsh conditions out there – there were huge practical challenges.”
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The director added, referring to both the recreated Trinity nuclear explosion featured in Oppenheimer and beyond: “It’s a story of immense scope and scale. And one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever taken on in terms of the scale of it, and in terms of encountering the breadth of Oppenheimer’s story.”
“There were big, logistical challenges, big practical challenges. But I had an extraordinary crew, and they really stepped up. It will be a while before we’re finished. But certainly, as I watch the results come in, and as I’m putting the film together, I’m thrilled with what my team has been able to achieve.”
Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, as you will have already gathered by now, the film depicts the Father of the Atom Bomb’s story. Cillian Murphy portrays the eponymous character/historical figure.
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Murphy is joined by an all-star lineup featuring Emily Blunt as his onscreen wife Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr as businessman/naval officer Lewis Strauss, Matt Damon as Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, Florence Pugh as psychiatrist/physician Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie as physicist Edward Teller, and Josh Hartnett as nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.
Rami Malek, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, Gary Oldman, Casey Affleck, Jason Clarke, plus David Krumholtz are also set to make an appearance. Like we said, this cast is certifiably stacked (and solely rivalled by Greta Gerwig’s Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling).
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy is scheduled for release on July 21st of 2023 – the annual slot typically saved for a Nolan flick, roughly two weeks before the anniversary of Hiroshima – stay tuned for more details.
Check out the brand-new images courtesy of Total Film below.
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