Christopher Nolan’s next film is a big deal, and not just because it’s about the man who led the effort to create the atomic bomb. For the first time since 2000’s Memento, Nolan is working on a movie that won’t be distributed by Warner Bros., the result of a public falling out between the director and studio after it chose to release its 2021 film slate simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. (The only thing Nolan treasures more than the concept of time is preserving the theatrical experience.) Universal Pictures, home of his upcoming J. Robert Oppenheimer biopic—titled, simply, Oppenheimer—has set the release date for July 21, 2023, which just so happens to be the same day that Nolan’s scorned ex Warner Bros. plans to drop its Barbie movie from Greta Gerwig. Oppenheimer and Barbie dueling it out at the box office is already giving us excellent meme material, and it’s honestly hard to decide which project should be prioritized on opening weekend. (Nolan’s film gets the edge if they make a theme song with the hook “Come on Oppie, let’s go party.”)
But even Nolan’s messy breakup with Warner Bros. and a faceoff between a theoretical physicist and an iconic Mattel doll isn’t as intriguing as who the director is bringing along for the ride. If you’ve been keeping up with the entertainment trades, it seems like every single (white) actor in Hollywood has been attached to Oppenheimer. Just when you think Nolan has rounded out his stacked ensemble and couldn’t possibly add anyone else, we find out that one half of Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh is playing a Harvard physicist who conducted cyclotron research.
With major studios laser-focused on superhero franchises and preestablished IP, perhaps the biggest draw of being cast in Oppenheimer is that it’s a big-budget movie made for adults, an increasingly rare commodity in Hollywood. Whatever the case, this is one of the most star-studded—and somewhat random—casts we’ve seen in a long time. To break down every individual casting choice would require a book instead of a blog, so in the interest of expediency I’ve put together seven tiers to explain why different actors would be drawn to Oppenheimer and what the movie could mean to their respective careers. Let’s dive in.
The Nolan Mainstay Tier
Members: Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine (surely?)
If Universal had its way, I’m betting it would opt for someone with higher star wattage than Murphy to play J. Robert Oppenheimer. But Nolan’s relationship with Murphy goes back to the Dark Knight trilogy—Oppenheimer will mark their sixth collaboration—and this could be the actor’s best chance for some long-overdue recognition at the Oscars. (If Murphy gets nominated, we can all pretend it was for Red Eye.) Assuming Nolan is committed to historical accuracy, this must also mean that Oppenheimer was famous for his dreamy eyes:
Meanwhile, Branagh returns to the Nolan-verse for the third successive film after Dunkirk and Tenet, though it hasn’t been announced who he’s playing. For all our sakes, let’s hope Nolan wasn’t completely enamored of Branagh’s Russian accent in Tenet, which, depending on who you ask, is either amazing or terrible. (Let’s agree on amazingly terrible.) In any case, Branagh’s accent work could make or break Oppenheimer.
Finally, let’s hear it for Gary Oldman and Michael Caine. Oldman is apparently feeling his surname, as he’s publicly mulling a retirement from acting whenever the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses finishes up. Nevertheless, Oldman has confirmed he’s appearing in one scene in Oppenheimer, which I’m sure the Oscar winner will make the most of. But at least Oldman is staying consistent: After hinting that he would retire after 2021’s Best Sellers, Caine reversed course and made it clear that he’s still got some juice…
Read More: A Taxonomy of Actors Cast in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’