Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors of all time, having made The Dark Knight trilogy of Batman movies, Inception, Memento, The Prestige, and so much more. He’s a Hollywood legend, known for his ability to take complex concepts and package them into a movie which can delight mainstream audiences.
With the upcoming Oppenheimer release date, Christopher Nolan will soon be bringing the story of Robert J. Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb in World War 2 to the screen as well. As it turns out, his new movie shares a noteworthy thematic link with his last movie, Tenet.
Speaking with Empire magazine, the director shared his thoughts, explaining what drew him to Oppenheimer after his work on the 2020 science fiction movie. “This idea that these guys did this calculation, and couldn’t eliminate the possibility that they’d set fire to the atmosphere and destroy the whole world,” said Nolan, reflecting on the creation of the atomic bomb.
“But they had to go ahead and do the Trinity test anyway. You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube, which was really what Tenet was about. In dealing with that [in Tenet] I then became interested in looking at that story, not as analogy for a science-fiction concept, but for its own sake,” said the director, revealing why the idea of Oppenheimer was so magnetic to him. “It is just so irresistibly dramatic.”
Like we’ll see in Oppenheimer with the development of the potentially world-ending weapon, in Tenet, CIA agents discover how to change the flow of time, which could lead to disastrous and mind-bending results.
In fact, quite a few of Nolan’s movie’s touch on the end of the world and the threat of disaster, with Interstellar and The Dark Knight Rises also having apocalyptic elements.
Oppenheimer is anticipated to be one of the best movies of the year and it certainly boasts the most impressive cast, with the likes of Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., and Gary Oldman each starring. With all the momentum behind it, it’s certainly in with a shout at becoming the best Christopher Nolan movie, which is already a high bar.
For more, check out how Oppenheimer’s script broke screenwriting rules. Or, take a look at our picks for the best science fiction movies and best movies based on a true story, before learning more about the Barbie release date and the Dune 2 release date.