I've seen people speculate that the film will open on Oppenheimer's clearance trial with Atomic Energy Commision and then flashback to other parts of his life like, the Manhattan Project and relationship issues with Jean Tatlock, while the trial is taking course.
That's not that original either, but so many biopics have been made before, that unless Nolan gets really weird with it, it's gonna have a little bit of "done that before" feel to it.
That sounds extremely basic.
It might deviate entirely from the book or his actual life Show us an alternative, Tarantinoesque reality (doubt it, though). The way Cillian described this sounds intriguing, so I also wonder what Nolan might do with this rather straight-forward story. I don't expect it to be more complex on a narrative level than The Prestige, but who knows.
I don't expect it to be more complex on a narrative level than The Prestige, but who knows.
Yep, if you get the right idea for the structure, you don't need it to be complex. Prestige or Tenet are very complex, but Dunkirk or Memento have very simple structure. The idea behind is very original, but also very simple.
Maybe he has a very simple idea that noone thought about... I just can't figure it.
I’m curious what it has been like to return to work with Christopher Nolan on “Oppenheimer” after doing multiple projects together. Now you’re his lead role, the main titular protagonist. What has it been like to return to work with him in that capacity?
Cillian:Every time Chris has called me over the years, I always say yes, no matter what size the font my role is on the poster because I’m such a fan of his work and I love his movies so much. We’ve known each other since 2003 or something like that, so I feel like we’ve built up a lot of trust and respect over the years. I feel really honored to be asked to play this part for him and it’s great when you get to work with somebody that you’ve known for a long time because you develop a shorthand in the work. I can’t wait to get back into it and I think it’ll be quite special.
I’m curious what it has been like to return to work with Christopher Nolan on “Oppenheimer” after doing multiple projects together. Now you’re his lead role, the main titular protagonist. What has it been like to return to work with him in that capacity?
Cillian:Every time Chris has called me over the years, I always say yes, no matter what size the font my role is on the poster because I’m such a fan of his work and I love his movies so much. We’ve known each other since 2003 or something like that, so I feel like we’ve built up a lot of trust and respect over the years. I feel really honored to be asked to play this part for him and it’s great when you get to work with somebody that you’ve known for a long time because you develop a shorthand in the work. I can’t wait to get back into it and I think it’ll be quite special.
Murphy will have to handle the limelight for a while longer. Christopher Nolan has cast him as the lead in Oppenheimer, his upcoming biopic about Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb. It will be their sixth film together, after the three Batman films, Inception and Dunkirk. Those worried about the dumbing down of popular culture may be reassured that one of the world’s leading directors is spending $100m on a blockbuster about a physicist.
“I’ll always turn up for Chris, whatever the size of the part,” Murphy says. “Chris will call me up and I’m there. Isn’t it wonderful that filmmakers are still making challenging, demanding films within the studio system, shot on film rather than digital? I think he’s flying the flag. Him, Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino, are fantastic filmmakers making interesting work on a massive scale.”
The film is based on American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin’s biography. Murphy says he is preparing by doing “an awful lot of reading. I’m interested in the man and what [inventing the atomic bomb] does to the individual. The mechanics of it, that’s not really for me – I don’t have the intellectual capability to understand them, but these contradictory characters are fascinating. Tommy Shelby’s a complete contradiction, too. People identify with that, because we all walk around with these contradictory ideas coexisting in our heads.”
Show us an alternative, Tarantinoesque reality (doubt it, though). The way Cillian described this sounds intriguing, so I also wonder what Nolan might do with this rather straight-forward story. I don't expect it to be more complex on a narrative level than The Prestige, but who knows.
