New footage from Christopher Nolan's upcoming film Oppenheimer was screened at CinemaCon, and it sounds like a tense affair.
Oppenheimer focuses on the titular physicist, father of the atomic bomb. He's played by Cillian Murphy in Nolan's film, with a bumper cast that includes the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Gary Oldman, and many, many more.
Per Variety, Nolan took to the stage to "huge applause," before the "nail-biting" footage debuted for the crowd. The clips included the scientists making the atomic bomb itself, along with potential espionage as Russia also works on its atomic capabilities. The footage is said to switch between black and white and full color, while Cillian Murphy, who plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, is described as "gaunt" and "haunted."
The Hollywood Reporter's footage description says that Oppenheimer struggles with the morality of building the atomic bomb, commenting: "I don't know if we can be trusted with the weapon, but I know the Nazis can't." The clips also included a moment where Oppenheimer, fully aware that his atomic bomb test could end the world if it set the atmosphere alight, goes ahead with the test.
"Like it or not, J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived," Nolan said on-stage. "He made the world we live in – for better or for worse. And his story has to be seen to be believed, and I am certainly hopeful audiences will come to your theaters to see it on the biggest screens possible."
Oppenheimer releases this July 21. Until then, check out our guide on all of 2023's upcoming major movie release dates for everything else the year has in store.
