Josh Hartnett Joins The Cast Of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer

You didn't think Christopher Nolan was finished casting recognizable, talented actors whose additions to his "Oppenheimer" film would unite everyone in unanimous praise, did you? Good, because this latest update involves a recognizable, talented actor whose addition to "Oppenheimer" is sure to unite everyone in unanimous praise. Josh Hartnett has enjoyed a very busy schedule in recent years, starring in Guy Ritchie's "Wrath of Man," "Ida Red," and the docuseries "Exterminate All the Brutes" in 2021 alone. The heartthrob-turned-character-actor (okay, okay, many would argue he's still a heartthrob) is now getting his 2022 off on the best possible note, as well, having joined the cast of Nolan's next high-profile blockbuster. Read on for all the details on Harnett joining Nolan's latest.

It'd be incredibly easy to lose track of all the names that Christopher Nolan has gathered for his next star-studded ensemble, and now we can add one more name to that ever-growing cast. According to Deadline, "Black Hawk Down" and "Pearl Harbor" star Josh Hartnett has signed on to lend his talents to "Oppenheimer," Nolan's World War II movie that revolves around the real-life scientist who headed the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. The report didn't include any details as to who Hartnett might be playing, or whether it would be an historical figure or an original character, but he'll be flanked by the likes of Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, and Cillian Murphy, whom Nolan recruited to play J. Robert Oppenheimer himself.

Remaining in the background of every report about "Oppenheimer," of course, is the public spat between Nolan and Warner Bros. over the day-and-date release of his last film, "Tenet," in theaters and on HBO Max in 2020. That eventually led to the dissolution of his decades-long partnership with the legacy studio that he used to call home and the shocking entrance of Universal Pictures to scoop up the rights to "Oppenheimer" after a heated bidding war. Deadline notes that Universal is maintaining Nolan's typical summer release date, valuable territory that Warner Bros. took pains to preserve for the popular auteur ... until the widely-publicized "Tenet" fiasco, at least. Though the pandemic will ultimately have the final say, Universal plans a theatrical-only release for "Oppenheimer" in the hopes of becoming Nolan's new go-to studio moving forward. Nolan has written the script in addition to directing, with the film based on Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin's novel, "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer."

Look for "Oppenheimer" to release on July 21, 2023.