First look at Cork star Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan’s 'Oppenheimer'

Belfast director Kenneth Branagh has been added to the impressive cast list 

Cillian Murphy is seen with a cigarette in his mouth in this moody first look at 'Oppenheimer'. Picture: Universal Pictures

We’ve been given our first taste of Cillian Murphy in the lead role in Christopher Nolan's upcoming biopic, Oppenheimer.

The Cork actor will play J Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist known as the “father of the atomic bomb” in the film.

Murphy, who has previously worked with Nolan on the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and Dunkirk, will star alongside a stellar cast including Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Rami Malek and Josh Hartnett.

It’s the first time Nolan has given the 45-year-old Irish actor a titular role, which Murphy says he is "still a bit in shock about" but thrilled.

“It’s a huge part and a lot of work," the actor told Esquire magazine.

"But, in my estimation, you’re working with one of the greatest living directors, so you’re in safe hands.”

Director-actor Kenneth Branagh will also star Picture: Geoff Robins

It has also been announced that Belfast’s Kenneth Branagh will be joining the cast in an unspecified role.

The film is based on the 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer, by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film has a whopping production budget of close to $100m (€88m). It is due to be released in North America on July 21 2023, but we are yet to find out when we can see it on this side of the Atlantic.