Beginning in 1943, a windswept mesa northwest of Santa Fe, NM, was the site of one of the most important projects of World War II, and perhaps all of human history: It’s where a group of the brightest scientists in the world came together to devise the first successful nuclear bomb. The site was called Los Alamos, and the leader of those scientists, J. Robert Oppenheimer, guided his team to create a weapon of immense destruction that didn’t just help end WWII, it totally reshaped the balance of power across the globe. A new film from Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer tells the story of that man, with Cillian Murphy in the title role. Although it won’t premiere until next summer, the first official trailer debuted over the weekend.
Nolan directed and wrote the film, and the script draws heavily on the book American Prometheus (a biography of Oppenheimer) written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Deadline reports. The trailer is light on details, of course. But with its mix of fiery explosions, clips of machinery at Los Alamos (including a shot of people assembling what appears to be a bomb), and ominous voiceovers, it sets up a powder keg of tension. It also hints at the moral quandaries the scientists wrestled with while working to create such a dangerous new weapon.
“We imagine a future, and our imaginings horrify us,” Murphy says as Oppenheimer in the trailer. “They won’t fear it until they understand it. And they won’t understand it until they’ve used it.”
That gets to the heart of one of the biggest moral issues at Los Alamos: Unleashing an all-powerful new weapon as a way to stop further bloodshed in the war. Although the bomb would create unprecedented destruction, the scientists hoped it would ultimately bring about something good. Of course, that view is open for debate—and in the trailer, Oppenheimer is clearly conflicted.
“Theory will take you only so far,” he says. “I don’t know if we can be trusted with such a weapon.”
In addition to Murphy, Deadline reports the film will feature an ensemble cast with quite a few big names, including Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Gary Oldman, Rami Malek, and Benny Safdie.
Oppenheimer will premiere in theaters on July 21, 2023.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/gnNkqbh
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