Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Just Added Another Huge Name To The Cast

The highly anticipated biopic "Oppenheimer," following the life of "the father of the Atomic bomb" and theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, has been gathering a star-studded cast for some time now, as more details are revealed about director Christopher Nolan's next big film following "Tenet." Nolan is known for the massive scale of his films with the likes of "Inception," "Interstellar," and "Dunkirk." "Tenet" was certainly no different, as it involved massive sets, time travel, and tampering with the laws of physics. Although it earned fresh scores on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and fans, some noted that it was quite confusing, challenging, and inaccessible (via FilmWeek). "Oppenheimer" is therefore new territory for Nolan, although directing a biopic should be a little less complicated than theorizing time travel.

Along with being known for the scale of his films, Nolan is a director who recruits much of the same cast for all of his movies. "Oppenheimer" currently stars actor Cillian Murphy, who has been in multiple Nolan films up to this point — including "Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight Rises," "Inception," and "Dunkirk," amongst others. Matt Damon is set to appear as well, who was a surprise character in 2014's "Interstellar." The cast also includes Christopher Nolan film newcomers Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, and Emily Blunt. Now, another well-known name has been added to the list.

Here's who is joining the talented cast of "Oppenheimer."

According to a Deadline exclusive, Josh Hartnett has now joined the cast of "Oppenheimer." There haven't been confirmations as far as Hartnett's role in the film specifically, and Universal has abstained from commenting on the information. This addition is interesting for Hartnett, as the "Pearl Harbor" actor and early 2000s heartthrob sort of fell off the radar for a while in regard to A-list movies. However, recently he has appeared in "Ida Red" alongside actor Frank Grillo, Guy Ritchie's "Wrath of Man" with Jason Statham, and the HBO original "Exterminate All the Brutes," a series focusing on stories of genocide in world history from predominantly white nations (via IMDb). It seems we may now be witnessing a Josh Hartnett renaissance of sorts.

"Oppenheimer" is reportedly based on the 2005 book "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by authors Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. As noted by Deadline, the film is set to release in July of 2023, about two weeks before the actual anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing on August 6th — 78 years after the actual day occurred in 1945. More details about the film and Hartnett's role will likely be released as we get closer to the "Oppenheimer" release date.