The world forever changes in the first trailer for celebrated director Christopher Nolan’s upcoming biopic, Oppenheimer. Released courtesy of the movie’s official Twitter account, the footage reveals our first look at Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy in action as physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer – father of the atomic bomb. You can see the first trailer for Oppenheimer below.

Snippets of black-and-white footage are interspersed between shots of glowing embers, which gradually become a roaring blaze of fire and smoke. “You gave them the power to destroy themselves,” an ominous voice says as Cillian Murphy dons Oppenheimer’s iconic hat. Much like most of Christopher Nolan’s movies, Oppenheimer will seemingly once again deal with the concept of time, as teased by a countdown throughout the trailer.

With the likes of The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Inception, and Tenet, Christopher Nolan has become known for making original, thought-provoking blockbusters, and Oppenheimer looks to be no different. A menacing atmosphere runs through this first footage, as J. Robert Oppenheimer edges ever closer to his destiny of destruction and death. Certainly, Oppenheimer does not look like any ordinary biopic.

Oppenheimer is Due to Hit Theaters in July 2023

Oppenheimer movie
Universal Pictures

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is based on the 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning book "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The story will follow Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who is now credited with being the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the World War II project that developed the first nuclear weapons – known as The Manhattan Project.

Oppenheimer is expected to explore the man’s moral struggle and the inner crisis he faced after seeing what his invention was capable of — an event that led Oppenheimer to utter the now iconic words, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

Led by Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer has amassed one of the most star-studded cast lists in cinematic history and includes the likes of Emily Blunt as Katherine Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, and Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock.

But that’s not at all. Not even close, in fact. Now, take a deep breath, as Oppenheimer will also star Benny Safdie, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, Kenneth Branagh, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman, Alex Wolff, David Krumholtz, David Dastmalchian, Jason Clarke, Olivia Thirlby, Dylan Arnold, Scott Grimes, Josh Peck, Tony Goldwyn, and, somehow, many more.

After five collaborations between Cillian Murphy and director Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer will find the actor taking the lead for the first time — an opportunity that Murphy is thrilled to take. "It’s the first time he’s cast me in a lead, which I’m still a bit in shock about, but I’m thrilled,” the actor said. “It’s a huge part and a lot of work. But in my estimation, you’re working with one of the greatest living directors, so you’re in safe hands."

Oppenheimer is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 21, 2023, by Universal Pictures.