December is a great month for movie-lovers. Not only is it a month that regularly sees the release of both prestige films and massive blockbusters, but it's also the time when we gets to witness exciting previews of the biggest titles that are set to hit theaters in the next year. As we've seen this past week with a trailer for Scream IV, the Barbie teaser, and an early look at Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, 2022 is delivering the goods, and now a real punch has been delivered with the first extended look at Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.
As he previously did with Dunkirk, Nolan is diving into the history books with his latest film, and this time he is telling the story of one of the key scientists who created the atom bomb. Cillian Murphy, who previously worked with the director on the aforementioned Dunkirk as well as the Dark Knight trilogy, stars as the eponymous J. Robert Oppenheimer, and he is surrounded in the film by incredible acting talent. The expansive Oppenheimer cast also includes Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, David Krumholtz, Gary Oldman, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Alden Ehrenreich, and more.
What's interesting about this trailer is that while fans can spot Jack Quaid, Josh Hartnett, and Matt Damon, the focus of the trailer isn't on the all-star ensemble. Instead, it's much more focused on the introduction of Cillian Murphy's Oppenheimer and showcasing some absolutely beautiful, close-up shots of fiery explosions.
The film marks the fourth time that Christopher Nolan has collaborated with cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, and this might end up being their most striking work yet. Their work together on Dunkirk previously saw Van Hoytema earn an Oscar nomination, but perhaps 2024 will be the year that he takes home the trophy for Oppenheimer.
As exciting as it is to get this debut look at Christopher Nolan's latest opus, one of the drawbacks of December trailers is that they sometimes have a tendency to proceed long wait times for the titles they are marketing. This is one of those cases. Oppenheimer isn't a winter or spring release, but instead is set to be one of the big features of summer 2023. The historical epic will be arriving in theaters on the same day as Greta Gerwig's Barbie – July 21, 2023 – and that's one week after Christopher McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 hits cinemas. It's set up to be a very good month for cinephiles.
Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, and the filmmaker has been teasing the use of some impressive practical effects. There are a lot of exciting upcoming movies coming in 2023, but this has to be one of the most anticipated.
