Christopher Nolan's next feature film lands at Universal
Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has chosen to partner with Universal Pictures for his new movie about American theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer who helped develop the atomic bomb during World War II. It was reported last week that Nolan and his representatives were in talks with major Hollywood studios for the project, a move that signaled the end of his collaboration with Warner Bros.
Relations between Nolan and Warner Bros. had soured last year
Since 2002's Insomnia, Nolan made all of his movies with Warner Bros. and that included his critically-acclaimed The Dark Knight trilogy and the most recent feature Tenet. But relations between Nolan and Warner Bros. had soured last year after the filmmaker expressed dissatisfaction with the studio for moving its 2021 slate to a day-and-date theatrical and HBO Max streaming release.
Nolan was quite publicly upset with the studio
Nolan had said he was in "disbelief" over this decision. Nolan was quite publicly upset with the studio. Calling the situation "very, very messy," he had said that some movies are "meant to be out there for the widest possible audiences... And now they're being used as a loss-leader for the streaming service...without any consultation. So, there's a lot of controversy."
Cillian Murphy might star in the upcoming war saga
According to Deadline, the plot details are sketchy but the new movie will focus on Oppenheimer, who is considered one of the fathers of the atom bomb. He was a pivotal figure in Manhattan Project - the World War II undertaking that developed the first nuclear weapons. Cillian Murphy, one of Nolan's frequent collaborators, is said to be a possible member of the ensemble.
Filming is expected to begin in first quarter of 2022
Murphy has regularly worked with the filmmaker in films like Inception, Dunkirk, and two of The Dark Knight films. However, the casting has yet to take place. Filming on the Oppenheimer picture is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022. The project will be produced by Nolan alongside his wife and longtime producing partner Emma Thomas for their Syncopy Inc. banner.
'Tenet' had a theatrical release after the COVID-19 lockdown
Nolan's most recently directed spy thriller movie Tenet was the first Hollywood tentpole to open in theaters after the coronavirus pandemic-forced shutdown. The movie starred John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh.
