Christopher Nolan is shaping his upcoming Oppenheimer up to be a historical epic as incredible as the life of subject J. Robert Oppenheimer and has just added No Exit star David Rysdahl to the project’s expansive list of talent.
Today The Hollywood Reporter revealed the star’s presence in the 2023 film. He joins Nolan collaborator Cillian Murphy as the physicist, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Kenneth Branagh, and Solo: A Star Wars Story star Alden Ehrenreich in an unknown role.
While the movie appears at first glance to be the kind of historical biography audiences have seen before with work like The Aviator and Walk the Line, those tied to the piece have said to not go in assuming so. Star Murphy — who admitted recently he has not brushed up on math or science for his role — told Esquire recently the story will be rooted in reality and things which actually happened, but told in a structure and format not common at all to the genre.
“It’s the first time he’s cast me in a lead, which I’m still a bit in shock about, but I’m thrilled. It’s a huge part and a lot of work. But in my estimation, you’re working with one of the greatest living directors, so you’re in safe hands. The difference with this one is the story is there, everybody knows what happened. But Chris is telling it in a different way, as with Chris you would expect. That’s all I can say … I’m not going to say. They’d kill me – they’re so strict.”
Oppenheimer will be Nolan’s first film without Warner Bros. in more than two decades.