Oppenheimer already has people talking.
First of all, the upcoming Christopher Nolan-directed film is one of the most hotly-anticipated movies of the year. Second, its star cast has brought out the best talents in Hollywood. And third? It's going head-to-head with Greta Gerwig's Barbie, with both (wildly different) movies releasing on the same day. So, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone, eh?
Of course, Oppenheimer is an upcoming biographical film that is centred on the life of physicist J Robert Oppenheimer and his contributions to the Manhattan Project, which led to the creation of the atomic bomb.
The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2005 biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The authors spent a staggering 25 years researching and writing the book.
Oppenheimer will see Peaky Blinders' star Cillian Murphy takes on the titular lead, also known as the "father of the atomic bomb". So, with such high expectations for the upcoming film, here's everything you need to know before catching it in cinemas.
What is the plot of Oppenheimer?
As a biographical drama, Oppenheimer's life will be explored through to his position as head of the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico, where his contributions to the Manhattan Project led to the development of the atomic bomb.
The film will be a stark reminder of the destruction of nuclear weapons. In real life, the atomic bomb was used by the United States to bomb Japan in the final year of World War II in 1945, tragically killing between 29,000 and 226,000 civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those are still the only times nuclear weapons have been used in war.
Who else stars in Oppenheimer?
As as well as Cillian, Emily Blunt plays his wife Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer, and Florence Pugh plays physician Jean Tatlock.
The impressive cast also includes Benny Safdie, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett, Olivia Thirlby, Matthew Modine, Dylan Arnold, Kenneth Branagh, and Gary Oldman.
Tony Goldwyn, Alex Wolff, Matthias Schweighöfer, David Rysdahl, Josh Peck, Jason Clarke, David Dastmalchian, Dane DeHaan, and Jack Quaid also star.
Is there a trailer?
Cillian narrates the trailer as Oppenheimer. He is heard saying: "They won't fear it until they understand it. And they won't understand it until they've used it.
"Theory will take you only so far," he continues. "I don't know if we can be trusted with such a weapon. But we have no choice. Is anyone ever going to tell the truth about what's happening here?" he adds at the end.
What has the cast said about Oppenheimer?
Cillian explained that he was a fan of Christopher Nolan's work, which made him sign on the dotted line.
"I think it's the best script I ever read," he told Rolling Stone UK. "The script was written entirely in the first person. "[Nolan] just said he wanted everything to be seen through the eyes of Oppenheimer."
Meanwhile, Florence also gushed to BBC Radio 1 about working with the director: "Working with Christopher Nolan was quite possibly one of the most thrilling experiences in a different way. Partly because he works with professionals. He is a professional. But his dedication to the craft of filmmaking and old filmmaking is just magical to watch.
"To just watch every single crew member on that set work so hard for him, to get his approval. And not like in a weird way, but like everybody knows who they're working for, and everybody's proud of being there," she added.
When will Oppenheimer be released?
Oppenheimer will hit cinemas globally on 21 July.
