An Oppenheimer Watchlist
The arc of Robert Oppenheimer’s life and the race to develop the first nuclear weapon continue to fascinate filmmakers—and audiences.
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OPPENHEIMER (2023), DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
Scheduled for theatrical release on July 21, this much-anticipated film stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer. “Like it or not, J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived,” Nolan told an audience at CinemaCon in April. “He made the world that we live in for better or for worse. His story has to be seen to be believed.” Nolan’s epic is based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning biography American Prometheus. The film promises to explore the high-stakes drama of the nuclear arms race, Oppenheimer’s rise and fall, and the famous Trinity test explosion—reportedly portrayed without the use of CGI. Other cast members include Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, and Florence Pugh.
TO END ALL WAR: OPPENHEIMER AND THE ATOMIC BOMB (2023), DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER CASSEL
At press time, clips from this feature-length documentary were likely to be shown at the Aspen Ideas Festival in late June, and the entire film was expected to be available to stream on Peacock before the release of Oppenheimer in late July. It includes interviews with Hiroshima survivor Hideko Tamura Snider, scientists Michio Kaku and Bill Nye, and biographers Kai Bird, Richard Rhodes, and Jennet Conant, whose essay anchors this cover story.
MANH(A)TTAN (2014–2015), CREATED BY SAM SHAW
The Emmy Award–winning fictional series is set in 1943 and 1944 at the Manhattan Project. The show’s two seasons capture the strain on the scientists and their families who were sequestered in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and sworn to secrecy. Available to stream on major platforms.
THE DAY AFTER TRINITY (1981), DIRECTED BY JON ELSE
The Academy Award–nominated documentary traces Oppenheimer’s journey from brilliant theoretical physicist to nuclear-weapons opponent and the personal costs he endured along the way. It features interviews with scientists and eyewitnesses as well as declassified archival footage. Available to stream on the Criterion Channel.
OPPENHEIMER (1980), DIRECTED BY BARRY DAVIS
The seven-part biopic was produced by the BBC and stars Sam Waterston as Oppenheimer. The series explores the dilemma faced by Oppenheimer and other Los Alamos scientists: Were they building a weapon of peace or one of war? Available on DVD.
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