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Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is one of the most hotly anticipated films of next year, so it’s fitting that it’s on the cover of Total Film’s upcoming 2023 Preview issue.
The film stars Cillian Murphy as a J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who oversaw the design of the first nuclear weapons during World War 2. The director of the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos Laboratory, Oppenheimer would go on to feel conflicted about the power that he unleashed, and his post-war years were dogged by investigations into his earlier Communist Party associations.
Murphy has collaborated with Nolan on five previous occasions (the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Dunkirk), but this is the first time he has stepped into the lead role. He’s surrounded by a truly astonishing ensemble, including Emily Blunt as Robert’s wife, Kitty, plus Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, and Gary Oldman. Robert Downey Jr. plays Lewis Strauss, chairman of the US Atomic Enemy Commission, who would later clash bitterly with Oppenheimer.
Nolan introduces the film – which is based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s book, American Prometheus – in the new issue of Total Film, and here you can see six exclusive images from the film. Above, you can see Murphy as Oppie at a hearing, while below there are new stills featuring, Murphy, Blunt, and Downey Jr., as well as behind-the-scenes shots featuring Murphy, Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (who has worked on every Nolan film since Interstellar).
Oppenheimer opens in cinemas on July 21, 2023. Inside the new issue of Total Film, which is on sale Thursday, December 15, Nolan talks in detail about Oppenheimer, which he describes as "a story of immense scope and scale". From casting Murphy and RDJ, to the groundbreaking use of large-format black-and-white film, to the cinematic appeal of Oppenheimer, it’s a thorough primer on a historical biopic like no other.
Total Film’s Oppenheimer coverage kicks off a huge 2023 Preview, looking ahead to the biggest films of the coming year. And the print version of this new issue comes with a special 52-page supplement counting down the best films, must-see moments, and breakout stars of 2022.
And if you’re a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue? You get the magazine (and any special supplements) delivered to your door before its in shops, and you’ll save money on the cover price. Plus, with our current subscription offer, you can get a free pair of EarFun Air wireless earbuds worth £55. What are you waiting for? Subscribe now at Magazines Direct. (Ts and Cs apply.)
