New Oppenheimer trailer gives first extended look at Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic

Oppenheimer movie still
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

The Oppenheimer movie has got a new trailer, showing off Christopher Nolan’s upcoming WWII epic and nuclear bomb biopic with aplomb.

The three-minute trailer gives a good overview of the film’s premise, which charts the creation of a specialist military facility where the USA’s sharpest minds will gather to help develop an atomic bomb – before a Nazi German government can achieve the very same thing – and attempt to bring a swift end to the second world war.

There’s certainly a star cast in attendance, with Nolan’s long-time collaborator Cillian Murphy taking on the lead role as J. Robert Oppenheimer, and a supporting cast consisting of Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Jack Quaid, and Kenneth Branagh. 

Oppenheimer releases in theaters on July 21, 2023, which is the same day as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie – though we can’t imagine too much overlap in the target audience.

You can watch the trailer below:

History has its eyes on you

The atomic bomb is firmly established in our history books, of course, and we all know how this turns out – with the US deploying the destructive technology against Japan, successfully pushing the nation to surrender.

We get a sneak peek of Tom Conti as the famed theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, who’ll seem to have a role in the film – likely covering the letter sent to then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt about Germany’s possible development of atomic weapons.

Christopher Nolan clearly has a special interest in this period of history, having released the blockbuster WWII film Dunkirk back in 2017. Those still confused by the muddled time-travel thriller Tenet (2020) may be relieved by a return to reality for Nolan’s next flick – but either way this is shaping up to be one of the best new movies of 2023.

Henry St Leger

Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.