Documentary/Biopic Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

[Pennywise]

It’s going to feel a bit weird when Nolan partners up with another studio other than WB.

 

[Sawyer]

I could see Nolan going with Paramount; that’d be huge for them and Paramount+.

But maybe it’s because I want to see Nolan and Tom Cruise team together.

Well, I mean… that’s the kind of thinking that potentially put WB out of contention for this project.

 

[shauner111]

Nolan’s strengths are...spectacle and the tension he gets out of the ‘ticking clock’ scenario. So unless the latter is how he’s dealing with this guy (one day in the life)...this biopic stuff doesn’t really interest me. Especially from Nolan because his dialogue is usually horrendous.

Nolan might need to shrink the size and budget of his films, okay sure...but this feels like he’s playing it safe and wants that Oscar season gold after the blockbuster failure of Tenet. Dunkirk is the kind of film Chris excels at. I’ll change my mind if/when new details emerge, but right now this sounds like Nolan making a Darkest Hour type movie (which will play into his weaknesses).

Bring on the “that’s a whole lot of assumptions” yeaaaah yeaaaah lol whatever. “World War 2...based on real life man...” god nothing bores me more than reading a summary like that. I’m ready for the hate, go ahead.

 

[I Am The Knight]

Good chance, I guess. I was thinking maybe Father, as he was known as the Father of the A-bomb.

Would be a great double feature with mother! by Aronofsky

 

[Pennywise]

There’s also Lionsgate and Searchlight Pictures.

 

[Filmfreak]

Like someone I follow on Twitter said, they did literally everything he wanted with Tenet

All this about Tenet being released last year only because he pushed for it is just hearsay, which he has personally denied.

and the thing he’s mad at them for is the same kind of **** all the other major studios are doing rn.

I mean, what’s he gonna do, hold a grudge against WB for their day-and-date move while overlooking Universal making a day-and-date move this very day?

WB were the first to do this and they did it by announcing their entire slate for 2021 and without even telling anyone about it. Pretty much everyone involved in those movies was pissed at them when they did it but people always forget all the rest.

No other studio has day-and-date releases for every movie. Universal only now is trying it with one movie, Disney might be returning to 45-day window after the huge success of Shang-Chi, all Paramount films are still theatrical only and Sony doesn't even own a streaming platform.

I'm sure there will be future contracts with directors that specifically guarantee beforehand that films are released in cinemas only and that's probably what Nolan is looking for. It doesn't necessarily mean the studio he signs follows the same model with every movie, as long as they don't swift plans later on and piss all over the creators.

 

[Pennywise]

Hoping Hans Zimmer collaborates with Nolan for the film.

 

[BobJM]

Well, I mean… that’s the kind of thinking that potentially put WB out of contention for this project.

Paramount isn’t doing direct to streaming though; they always had a plan with theatre chains for a 45-day window. I see them being flexible with that number too, if need be, when discussing with Nolan.

 

[Pennywise]

Paramount isn’t doing direct to streaming though; they always had a plan with theatre chains for a 45-day window. I see them being flexible with that number too, if need be, when discussing with Nolan.

Awesome!

 

[BatLobster]

I'm not sure what the size and scope of this project may be, hard to imagine it won't be something that continues his use of IMAX and showcases the war in some capacity.

But I almost guarantee this won't be a straight forward Oscar bait film. Dunkirk sounded like pretty typical Oscar bait on paper and it ended up having a very uniquely Nolan-esque spin on how it told that story. I have no doubt that the same will be true for this Oppenheimer film. I'm definitely interested to see how Nolan tackles a biopic.

And yeah, it'll be sad if the WB relationship is over but it is what it is. At the end of the day we're just talking about a logo in front of a movie that will likely be exactly what it would've been whether it's a WB movie or not.

 

[Pennywise]

I'm not sure what the size and scope of this project may be, hard to imagine it won't be something that continues his use of IMAX and showcases the war in some capacity.

But I almost guarantee this won't be a straight forward Oscar bait film. Dunkirk sounded like pretty typical Oscar bait on paper and it ended up having a very uniquely Nolan-esque spin on how it told that story. I have no doubt that the same will be true for this Oppenheimer film. I'm definitely interested to see how Nolan tackles a biopic.

And yeah, it'll be sad if the WB relationship is over but it is what it is. At the end of the day we're just talking about a logo in front of a movie that will likely be exactly what it would've been whether it's a WB movie or not.

Very true!

 

[Gold Samurai]

There will probably be a time element in the movie. Probably the countdown of the bomb. There will also be a practical effect of dropping an atom bomb in some remote location for the right effect.

 

[Boom]

According to THR, Warner is still in play.

Sony, Universal Among Studios Vying for New Christopher Nolan Movie – The Hollywood Reporter

The studio situation aside, I hope Murphy lands this. Dude is long overdue for a lead role in a prestige project.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I haven't read any press or synopsis of what Nolan is gonna go for yet so...

Question...

Is this for sure about JRO's time developing the A-Bomb for the U.S. government?

Because to me I think that the juicier story is his post war loss of security clearance. That's Oscar bait material, though there's also plenty of feature film fodder to mine from the time they were putting together Fat Man and Little Boy and prepping for the first tests.

It's just the political polarization from the Red Scare days feels more of our time now.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Get ready for physics exposition!

 

[Pennywise]

Sources say that Nolan and his camp are talking to Sony and Universal, with conversations also taking place with Warners and Paramount. The talks are at the highest executive levels. Universal, Warners and Paramount had no comment while Sony could not be reached for comment.

No offers have been made and a theatrical release is of upmost importance.

Despite that requirement — Nolan is one of the filmmakers that has been a vocal proponent of the theatrical experience — one source said that streamers should not be counted out of the running. Netflix, for example, has been willing to grant theatrical runs to certain filmmakers.

 

[Filmfreak]

So WB is still a contender. This makes me think they might be the ones he'll end up making the deal with, after all.

 

[Pennywise]

I’ll be surprised if he works with WB again after last time.

 

[BatLobster]

Nolan actually has a quote about Oppenheimer in the book "The Nolan Variations" that came out last year (great read btw).

"It is among those included in an anthology of speeches Oppenheimer gave after the war, threading the needle of his ambivalence about nuclear technology, which Robert Pattinson gave to Nolan as a gift at the film’s wrap party."

“It’s eerie reading, because they’re wrangling with this thing they’ve unleashed. How’s that going to be controlled? It’s just this most monstrous responsibility. Once that knowledge is out there in the world, what can you do? You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. It was a savvy, thoughtful wrap gift, actually, because, like you, I’ve grown up in the postnuclear age. In Graham Swift’s Waterland, there’s a whole section about apocalyptic thinking. We’ve grown up in the shadow of the ultimate destructive knowledge. There’s very little you would miss if that technology disappeared. It’s like that Sophocles line they quote in Angel Heart, which is the only reason I know it: ‘…how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the man that’s wise?’ To know something is to have power over it, generally, but what if the reverse is true, if knowing something gives it power over you?”

This already highlights why he's an intriguing figure for a movie and why Nolan would be fascinated in the subject.

Oppenheimer kind of gets to the heart of an issue that's at the core of a lot of sci-fi, about the double-edged nature of most technological advancements. Heck, he's referenced in Tenet, so there ya go.

Also, the movie supposedly has a budget of $100 million, so I think it will still have a decent enough scale to it. That's at least in the ballpark of Dunkirk's budget.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Or, knowing how desperate they likely are to remain in the Nolan business, he’s setting up meetings around town so WB scrambles to give him carte blanche to do literally anything he wants to with this.

Like someone I follow on Twitter said, they did literally everything he wanted with Tenet and the thing he’s mad at them for is the same kind of **** all the other major studios are doing rn.

I mean, what’s he gonna do, hold a grudge against WB for their day-and-date move while overlooking Universal making a day-and-date move this very day?

They gave Nolan everything he wanted. They released his movie during a pandemic. I guess he'd need a guarantee that his movies won't get a day of HBOMax release. It's a smart tactic though.

 

[Filmfreak]

I'm very curious what requires a 100 million budget for a biopic drama. Nolan is very meticulous on what he needs to spend.

 

[Pennywise]

Very interesting that the budget is $100 Million.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Recreating Los Alamos as a historical setting given Nolan's druthers in regards to productions probably is no cheap feat. Period pieces have higher budgets for clothing, sets, vehicles and the rest.

 

[Pennywise]

Plus, CGI for the mushroom cloud if they do the Trinity Test.

 

[DarkKnight88]

The Aviator cost 110M in 2004 money.