Christopher Nolan Universal Film J. Robert Oppenheimer & The A-Bomb – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has secured the right to finance and distribute the next film Christopher Nolan will direct, based on his screenplay on J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

A theoretical physicist who became director of the Los Alamos laboratory, Oppenheimer led the research and development of the bomb that ended WWII, as part of what was secretly known as the Manhattan Project. Nolan will produce the film alongside his wife and longtime production partner Emma Thomas for their Syncopy Inc banner.

Sources said the film now has the green light to begin production in the first quarter of 2022. When Deadline announced the story of this film being purchased a few days ago, I had heard that the Longtime Nolan collaborator Cillian Murphy was in the mix for a key role. . It could still happen, but I’m sure there are no definitive attachments for the cast at this point.

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Christopher Nolan Bombshell: Director talks to several studios about a film he will direct on J. Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb during WWII

So ended a long, enchanted race between Nolan and Warner Bros., which gave The black Knight trilogy, Creation, Dunkirk and more recently Principle. I’ve heard that Nolan’s court came down to Universal, MGM, and Sony, but not Warner Bros.

This is exactly the kind of event film that Universal chief Donna Langley does so well, backing the filmmakers with the backing of the studio’s global marketing and distribution machine behind her, the one that led to F9 become the world’s greatest film of the year to date. Like MGM’s Michael De Luca and Sony’s Tom Rothman, Langley follows in the footsteps of recently dismissed Paramount studio chief Jim Gianopulos as the returning first filmmaker at a time when company cast members are on the move. lean heavily on streaming services and prioritize them over theater and the status quo. . I wonder if Paramount could have been a player, if Gianopulos hadn’t been ousted in the middle of this derby, a signal that the studio is leaning towards streaming priority as well. Langley’s long experience in advocating for filmmakers and original event films to global audiences was to be heartwarming for Nolan and Thomas.

The experience of Nolan and Warner Bros on his film, Principle, has been difficult for both due to its release during the pandemic, even though the global numbers have turned out to be good. But the filmmaker appeared particularly furious when WarnerMedia chief Jason Kilar blinded every filmmaker who had a film on the Warner Bros. 2021 roster by demanding a day-and-date release to create paid subscriber numbers on his service. streaming HBO Max while theatrical attendance continued to seem fragile. the protracted pandemic. I thought about it a lot between creative and business during a sleepy Toronto, where the highlight was watching the Warner Bros / Legendary epic. Dune on an IMAX screen at the Cinesphere at Ontario Place as part of the TIFF festival. Director Denis Villenueve has already spoken and said that when he and cinematographer Greig Fraser had their dream on the film, everything was designed for “this screen,” he said, pointing to the huge IMAX screen. Watching the movie on such a large canvas with pristine sound reminded me of the pleasure I felt watching creation of the world movies like the original Star wars, The Lord of the Rings and Avatar. The reach of Villenueve’s imagination was maximized by the cutting edge IMAX sights, sounds and spectacle. It was understandable that Legendary, who paid most of the film’s budget, opposed WarnerMedia on the day / date strategy. While some at the studio note that Legendary could have chosen to skip 2021 and go the theatrical route in a year, defenders of the filmmakers might wonder why an exception could not have been made, especially since the director of elite Villenueve plans more Dune installments. He was also a vocal critic of WarnerMedia’s day and date change. The film had been delayed several times before, and who wants to let a lucrative event like this sit for another year, paying interest on the money spent? I can say for sure that anyone who sees Dune on their iPhone or big screen TV will do this movie and themselves an injustice. Dune is one of those movies – that of Nolan Creation, Dunkirk and the Black Knight movies are another – which shoot all cylinders when viewed on the largest possible screen in the best possible sound. Final footage from the film indicates that this was just the first installment. Hopefully the forked day and date of HBO Max / theatrical release doesn’t endanger these future installments.

The best way for elite filmmakers to control the flow of their films is to follow the path that Nolan and his WME reps took here and control their fate by making deals. The financial part was relatively straightforward; the deal followed the model of the one under which Nolan operated at Warner Bros. So that translated into the day / date move of WarnerMedia which cost Warner Bros. a cornerstone director who, at 51, is in his prime with a lot of stories to tell, and that’s a setback. potentially important of a movie theater purist in this streaming juggernaut moment. It’s just another day in fast-paced Hollywood, with the quicksand being an important visual element in Dune, because giant worms sometimes engulf those which disturb the sandy landscape and do not have the dexterity to rotate, or stay too long in one place.