Christopher Nolan’s J. Robert Oppenheimer biopic just added Josh Hartnett to its cast, according to Deadline. The upcoming biopic will explore the life of the man responsible for the project that ultimately created the atomic bomb during the Second World War.
The biopic will not be the first movie set on World War II in which Hartnett stars, as he had a starring role in 2001’s Pearl Harbor. Hartnett is also known for his parts in the sci-fi horror film The Faculty, crime thriller Lucky Number Slevin, and the graphic novel–based vampire horror film 30 Days of Night. From 2014 to 2016, Hartnett also starred in the horror TV series Penny Dreadful, for which he was nominated for a Fangoria Chainsaw Award.
Before showing up in the Oppenheimer biopic, Hartnett is also set to appear in Guy Ritchie’s spy action comedy film Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. Hartnett is also involved with James Franco’s indie drama film The Long Home, based on the 1999 novel of the same name by William Gay. However, there’s no release date yet for The Long Home, which has been stuck in development since 2015.
Hartnett joined the star-studded cast of Nolan’s Oppenheimer biopic, which already includes Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, who had an affair with Oppenheimer and was a member of the Community Party of the United States. Benny Safdie will play Edward Teller, a member of the Manhattan Project and Hungarian physicist who is considered the father of the hydrogen bomb.
The movie also counts with Emily Blunt as Katherine Vissering Oppenheimer, wife of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The biopic also counts with Rami Malek, Robert Downey Jr., and Matt Damon. As for Oppenheimer, the scientist will be brought to life by Cillian Murphy.
In addition to directing the Oppenheimer biopic, Nolan wrote the script, which is based on the 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph of J. Robert Oppenheimer, by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Nolan is bringing regular collaborators back for the biopic, such as producers Emma Thomas and Charles Roven, director of photography Hoyte Van Hotema, editor Jennifer Lame, and composer Ludwig Göransson.
Oppenheimer’s biopic is Nolan's first project since leaving Warner Bros. The movie will be distributed by Universal, which won the bidding war for Nolan’s movies after agreeing to a lengthy theatrical window of 100 days, plus a six-week blackout period surrounding the release of the film, wherein no other Universal film can be released.
Nolan’s Oppenheimer comes to theaters on July 21, 2023.