We are weeks away from Oppenheimer and the anticipation is running very high. Led by Cillian Murphy, the movie is an insight into the life and works of the father of the atomic bomb. Fans are very excited to see Christopher Nolan’s recreation of the Trinity test given the movie used zero CGI shots. In a new featurette, the cast and director talk about recreating the moment which changed the world as we knew it.

“I’ve been interested in Oppenheimer’s story for a long time,” says Nolan. The movie is based on American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the biography written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Oppenheimer’s invention has been debated for a long time, as the scientist himself, lobbied for international control of nuclear power. “At some point, I learned that this key piece of information that in the lead up to the Trinity test they were dealing with the very small possibility that when they push that button they would set fire to the atmosphere of the earth and destroy the entire planet,” the director explains, “and yet they pushed that button.” This fact motivated him and “I wanted to take the audience into that extraordinary moment in human history.”

Oppenheimer’s Stacked Cast

“Cillian playing Oppenheimer was the centerpiece of the film but I knew he was going to need the most extraordinary ensemble,” says Nolan who often cast the best people to take over a role. The movie casts Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon portrays General Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey, Jr. as Lewis Strauss, among others. “People involved in the Manhattan Project were charismatic individulas they’re very talented,” said Kenneth Branagh, who plays Danish scientist Niels Bohr.

Producer Emma Thompson explains, “The world Oppenheimer inhabits is filled with rockstar scientists and I think because we have all these fantastic actors you really buy that.” The R-rated movie will cover decades of the titular scientist’s life and a range of people he interacted with, who shaped history. “It felt like I was playing sports with some of the best athletes,” said Florence Pugh, who plays psychiatrist Jean Tatlock. The movie has been shot in real locations from Princeton to Los Alamos supporting the performances of the cast, “Shooting those scenes playing the characters who really had versions of these events happen there you get a real charge out of it,” Downey Jr shares. As Blunt sums it up, “This is not a film this is an experience it is a heart in your mouth thriller.”

Oppenheimer hits theatres on July 21. You can check out the featurette below:

via Collider