The first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has been released online in unconventional fashion, following a window of exclusivity in cinemas.
The acclaimed director is known to be an avid defender of the theatrical experience, having left his longtime studio Warner Bros after they shifted their entire 2021 slate to simultaneous streaming launches on HBO Max.
Therefore, rather than the instant online drop that many major releases opt for, Nolan debuted the Oppenheimer teaser before screenings of Nope in the United States.
The trailer is now officially online, but has been made available as a looping livestream on Universal’s social media accounts and YouTube channel, rather than a standard upload.
Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders) stars as J Robert Oppenheimer, creator of the atomic bomb, with the film chronicling his work before and after as part of the team assigned to the Manhattan Project.
Watch the Oppenheimer trailer below:
With Nolan being one of Hollywood’s most prolific directors, it’s little surprise that he has been able to assemble an incredible cast for this dark biopic.
Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Matt Damon (The Martian), Robert Downey Jr (Avengers: Endgame), Florence Pugh (Black Widow) and Rami Malek (No Time to Die) are just some of the big names attached to the project.
Only Murphy appears in this initial teaser, however, as we see him put on a hat and light a cigarette before facing a crowd of photographers waiting for him.
The black-and-white footage is interspersed with a fiery depiction of an atomic bomb detonating, while a brooding voiceover mutters some truly ominous lines.
“You gave them the power to destroy themselves,” says one unidentified man.
“That made him the most important man who ever lived. The man who moved the Earth,” adds another.
The teaser is accompanied by menacing music which grows to near-unbearable intensity, with Academy Award-winning composer Ludwig Göransson (Tenet, Black Panther) handling the score.
Oppenheimer marks Murphy’s sixth collaboration with Nolan, having previously appeared in the director’s Dark Knight trilogy, as well as the mind-bending Inception and war film Dunkirk.
Oppenheimer is scheduled for cinema release on 21st July 2023. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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