The First Poster For Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Will Blow You Away

It's been over two years since Christopher Nolan returned to the big screen with his mind-bending spy thriller "Tenet," which followed John David Washington's unnamed protagonist as he learns to bend time while trying to prevent an apocalypse. "Tenet" managed to lure audiences back into theaters during the pandemic, making $365.3 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) — although this wasn't too surprising, since Nolan always strives to deliver a unique cinematic experience (and to his credit, his films are never afraid to be confusing). 

Nolan's next project, "Oppenheimer," stars a truly impressive cast led by "Peaky Blinders" alum and frequent collaborator, Cillian Murphy, as J. Robert Oppenheimer. The film is based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin's biography of the scientist, "American Prometheus," as he helped create the atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project in World War II. Nolan has assembled a lengthy list of stars for his latest movie, including Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, and Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Matthew Modine, Kenneth Brannagh, Dane DeHaan, Benny Safdie, and Jack Quaid. Clearly, Universal and Syncopy Inc. are aiming for awards recognition with the wealth of talent appearing in "Oppenheimer."

When speaking to the L.A. Times, producer Charles Roven revealed that it didn't take much to convince the director to sign on for the project, saying, "I've known Chris and Emma [Thomas] for almost 20 years now. We were enjoying a weekend together, and I just brought up this idea. And in talking with them about it, Chris said, 'Well, let me read the book.' And he came back and said, 'I'm interested in doing it."

Now, Universal has revealed the first "Oppenheimer" poster, and it will blow you away.

Cinephiles previously got a look at Cillian Murphy's dapper look as J. Robert Oppenheimer back in February 2022, but the studio has released the first fiery poster for the movie on Twitter to mark one year to go until its release — as "Oppenheimer" is currently slated for July 21, 2023. 

#Oppenheimer – Only in theaters 7 21 23 pic.twitter.com/olB1RLnNZl

— Oppenheimer (@OppenheimerFilm) July 21, 2022

The first trailer will reportedly arrive in front of Jordan Peele's "Nope" (via Trailer Report) so audiences will get a better look at the biopic sooner rather than later. But the fresh poster shows the scientist stood in the middle of a raging inferno, which obviously signifies the bomb he created with the Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer's work led to the United States using nuclear weapons against Japan in August 1945, as they were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nolan will put the scientist under the microscope in the biopic to look at what made him tick. When speaking to the Guardian about working on the Nolan film, Murphy revealed that he wants to examine how Oppenheimer was changed because of his destructive work. The star explained, "I'm interested in the man and what [inventing the atomic bomb] does to the individual. The mechanics of it, that's not really for me — I don't have the intellectual capability to understand them, but these contradictory characters are fascinating." 

Nolan has already proved that he can handle World War II stories with ease, thanks to 2017's "Dunkirk," so it'll be interesting to see how he approaches this new film.