Christopher Nolan has assembled a phenomenal cast for his upcoming historical drama Oppenheimer, including many stars with whom he has collaborated before... but one name you may note as being absent from the ensemble is Robert Pattinson. The writer/director worked with the actor on his 2020 sci-fi film Tenet, but it seems Pattinson's schedule was too busy for him to participate in the filmmaker's follow-up feature. That being said, while we won't be getting to see the star of The Batman in the upcoming 2023 movie, fans will be interested to know that he had a special hand in inspiring the project getting made.
This cool bit of trivia comes from a Christopher Nolan interview with Tara Hitchcock, where the interviewer asked about Pattinson's absence from the new summer release. Nolan explained that the actor has been working on other films – Pattison's upcoming slate including Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17 and Matt Reeves' The Batman: Part II – but noted that the actor had a part in getting him infatuated with the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer. He began,
He's busy. He's very much in demand these days. Rob [Pattinson], off the back of Tenet, where we refer to Oppenheimer... I wrote a thing about this incredible moment that Oppenheimer and the scientists of the Manhattan Project had, where they could not completely eliminate the possibility that when they triggered that first gadget – that first atomic device – they might start a chain reaction that would destroy the world. And we use that as a metaphor for Tenet, which Rob was in.
It was evidently clear to Robert Pattinson that Christopher Nolan was fascinated with Oppenheimer's story, and he used that knowledge to his advantage when Tenet wrapped production. Pattinson decided to purchase the writer/director a gift, and that gift had a part in pushing Nolan to make Oppenheimer. The filmmaker continued,
As a wrap gift, he gave me a book of Oppenheimer’s speeches from the 1950s, where you’re reading these great intellects trying to deal with the massive consequences of the way in which they’ve changed life forever, for all of us. And I really got hooked and got hooked on the story.
Based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, the film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is recognized by history as the key mind behind the creation of the world's first atomic bomb. As alluded to earlier, the three-hour epic boasts an awesome supporting cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Gary Oldman, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Hartnett, Alden Ehrenreich, and many more.
Nearly two years after the project was first announced, Oppenheimer will be arriving in theaters incredibly soon namely on July 21 (going head-to-head with the blockbuster release of Greta Gerwig's Barbie). We'll have plenty more coverage of the film coming your way soon here on CinemaBlend, so stay tuned for features and stories in the weeks to come.
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