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'Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy as the titular leader of the Manhattan Project and father of the atomic bomb, hits theaters on July 21, 2023. News broke in 2021 that Oppenheimer would be Nolan's next project, following the director's tradition of action-packed blockbusters like The Dark Knight, Inception, and Dunkirk. And given that his last feature, 2020's Tenet, was met with mixed reception, all eyes are on Nolan for how Oppenheimer will unfold.

Though it's opening against Greta Gerwig's IP-epic Barbie, Oppenheimer is generating plenty of buzz in its own right, with many theatergoers even planning for a "Barbieheimer" double feature despite the stark differences in content and tone. But one thing the films do have in common is their large, star-studded casts.

"Even though Oppenheimer is at the center of it, we had this incredible ensemble of actors bringing so much to the table," Nolan told EW, adding, "We have to be really on our game, we have to be faithful to the history here, and really know what we're up to."

As we anxiously await its release, EW has compiled everything you need to know about the cast of Oppenheimer.

Cillian Murphy (Robert Oppenheimer)

After a successful run in professional theater, Cillian Murphy was cast by director Danny Boyle in the seminal 2003 zombie flick 28 Days Later. That same year, he appeared in Intermission and Cold Mountain. The actor later reunited with Boyle by starring in the 2007 sci-fi flick Sunshine.

In 2005, he had his first of many collaborations with Nolan by playing the Scarecrow in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Trilogy, followed by a role in Nolan's Inception (2010) and a cameo in Dunkirk (2017). In 2013, Murphy joined the cast of the television show Peaky Blinders, which concluded in 2022. More recently, Murphy was paired with his Oppenheimer costar Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place Part II (2020).

Murphy and Nolan sat down with EW to look back on their many collaborations, but both agreed the advent of Oppenheimer was notably special. "To be able to pick up the phone, and call [Murphy], and be like, 'This is the one where you carry the movie and really get to show what you can do."

That memory is cherished by Murphy as well, who added, "It was one of the best days of my life... I'll always turn up for Chris, no matter what the part is, but, secretly, it's a dream to play a lead part. The thing was, I had no idea. There was no preamble or anything, I just got the call. So it was incredibly exciting, and daunting, and terrifying, all at the same time."

Emily Blunt (Kitty Oppenheimer)

London native Emily Blunt, who plays fellow scientist and wife Kitty Oppenheimer, began acting in theater before moving to film with Paweł Pawlikowski's My Summer of Love (2004). Her next major role is perhaps the one that's stuck to her the most: Emily, the catty assistant to Miranda Priestly in 2006's The Devil Wears Prada (she later became the sister-in-law to costar Stanley Tucci when he married her sister, Felicity).

After her scene-stealing turn in Prada, Blunt began landing more prominent parts. She starred opposite Steve Carell in Dan in Real Life (2007), with Tom Hanks in Charlie Wilson's War the same year, in the indie hit Sunshine Cleaning (2009), and in the big-budget flop The Wolfman (2010). Blunt next moved into action with a role in Edge of Tomorrow (2014) and anchored Denis Villeneuve's gritty thriller Sicario (2015). She then became one of the few actors to embody Mary Poppins with 2018's Mary Poppins Returns, and returned to the Disney fold in the amiable adventure Jungle Cruise (2021).

Blunt previously dated singer Michael Bublé from 2005 to 2008 before she met actor and director John Krasinski in 2008. The couple married in 2010 and share two daughters. Krasinski and Blunt have worked together on both A Quiet Place films, which starred the couple and were written and directed by Krasinski.

Robert Downey Jr. (Lewis Strauss)

Robert Downey Jr. began acting at 5-years-old, but things didn't start taking off for him until he was an adult. His early notable roles include Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin (1992) — for which he was nominated for an Oscar — and Wayne Gayle in Natural Born Killers (1994). Around this time, Downey also began to fall into a spiral of substance abuse and addiction, leading to a number of arrests in the late '90s. In 1999, he was sentenced to three years in prison but served just one before a judge ruled that Downey's combined time spent incarcerated since 1996 counted as his full term.

After his release, Downey began his comeback tour. He joined the cast of Ally McBeal to much acclaim, starred in Mel Gibson's The Singing Detective (2003), terrorized Tim Allen in Disney's The Shaggy Dog (2006) remake, played reporter Paul Avery in David Fincher's masterpiece Zodiac (2007), and joined up with director Jon Favreau for his career-defining role as Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008).

In the midst of his professional renaissance, Downey met his future wife on the set of 2003's potboiler Gothika. Downey married film producer Susan Downey (née Levin) in 2005. They have two children and co-parent Downey's first son, Indio, from his previous marriage to Deborah Falconer.

After joining the MCU, Downey's career took a significant upswing. He appeared in 10 Marvel films, along with two of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes pictures as the titular detective. Along with his wife, Downey founded Team Downey, a production company that has produced films such as The Judge (2014) and Dolittle (2020).

Downey reports that he has been drug-free for two decades, thanks to his wife and his proclivities for meditation and kung-fu. When asked by Oprah Winfrey how he has been able to stick to his sobriety, Downey told the host, "It's really not that difficult to overcome these seemingly ghastly problems. What's hard is to decide to do it."

Matt Damon (Leslie Groves Jr.)

Practically everyone knows the story of Matt Damon, who with his childhood buddy Ben Affleck went on to script and star in Good Will Hunting (1997), win an Oscar, and kickstart a career of big-budget tent poles and respected awards pictures alike. He went on to give a thrilling performance in 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley, and shortly thereafter joined the star-studded cast of Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven and its sequels, Twelve and Thirteen.

The actor soon earned his franchise credentials with four turns as Jason Bourne, beginning with The Bourne Identity and culminating in Jason Bourne (2016). He also worked with Martin Scorsese in The Departed (2006) and re-teamed with frequent collaborator Steven Soderbergh for Contagion (2011). Damon soon won universal acclaim for his turn in The Martian (2015) a year after his first collaboration with Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan, when he played another stranded spaceman in Interstellar (2014).

Recently, Damon starred in the gripping thriller Stillwater (2021), the historical epic The Last Duel (which he also produced and co-scripted with Affleck and Nicole Holofcener), and the 2023 feel-good sneaker biopic Air. As a producer, Damon has worked on Manchester by the Sea (2016) as well as the HBO show Project Greenlight.

The actor shares four daughters with wife Luciana Bozán, with the eldest, Alexia, from her previous marriage.

Florence Pugh (Jean Tatlock)

While still in school, Florence Pugh made her acting debut in Carol Morley's film The Falling (2014), where she earned rave reviews and quickly went on to give a searing performance in Lady Macbeth (2016), as well as in Marcella (2016) and The Commuter (2018). Pugh then earned mainstream acclaim with 2019's feel-good sports comedy Fighting with My Family. The same year, she starred in Ari Aster's psychological folk horror film Midsommar. At the end of 2019, she played Amy in Greta Gerwig's tremendous adaptation of Little Women.

Pugh next starred as Yelena Belova in Black Widow and the Disney+ series Hawkeye before taking a much talked about role in Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling (2022). In 2022, she also appeared in The Wonder and as Goldilocks in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, followed by a starring turn in her ex-partner Zach Braff's directorial effort A Good Person.

As for playing Jean Tatlock, fellow scientist and lover to Oppenheimer, Pugh told BBC Radio 1,"Working with Christopher Nolan was quite possibly one of the most thrilling experiences in a different way, partly because he works with professionals. He is a professional. But his dedication to the craft of filmmaking and old filmmaking is just magical to watch."

She continued: "To just watch every single crew member on that set work so hard for him, to get his approval… Everybody is constantly trying to be better the next day. And I've never seen that feeling on set before."

Dylan Arnold (Frank Oppenheimer)

Dylan Arnold made his acting debut in 2012's Fat Kid Rules the World before going on to act alongside Keira Knightley in Laggies (2014). He appeared in Mudbound (2017) and on episodes of SWAT, The Purge, and Nashville before netting a key supporting role in David Gordon Green's 2018 Halloween reboot and its sequel, Halloween Kills (2021). In 2021, Arnold joined the third season of You as Theo Engler. He'll appear in Oppenheimer as Frank, younger brother to Robert and physicist in his own right.

Benny Safdie (Edward Teller)

Director and actor Benny Safdie has collaborated with brother Josh Safdie on several feature films, including Daddy Longlegs (2009), The Black Balloon (2012), Good Time (2017), and Uncut Gems (2019). With Good Time, Safdie moved in front of the camera to give a critically acclaimed performance as Robert Pattinson's brother. More roles in Pieces of a Woman (2020) and Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza (2021) shortly followed.

In 2022, Safdie appeared in Claire Denis' erotic thriller Stars at Noon, and later gave an astounding performance in one of the 2023's best films, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, playing Margaret's father. He has been married to Ava Safdie since 2013, and the couple shares three children.

Gary Oldman (Harry S. Truman)

Gary Oldman is no stranger to working with Christpher Nolan, having appeared as Commissioner Gordon in the director's Dark Knight Trilogy. The actor began his career in London theater in the late '70s, appearing in Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, before moving into film, essaying memorable roles in Mike Leigh's Meantime (1983) and as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986).

The next decade brought Oldman acclaim overseas for his performance of the title monster in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), as well as the amped-up villain in Léon: The Professional (1994). Oldman has since been nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars three times for his roles in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Mank (2020), and Darkest Hour (2017) — the latter of which he won.

He was previously married to actress Lesley Manville, and the two share a son together. Oldman married Uma Thurman in 1990, but they were divorced two years later. Since 2017, Oldman has been married to art curator and writer Gisele Schmidt.

Tom Conti (Albert Einstein)

Scottish actor, director, and author Tom Conti got his start in the theater in 1959, later winning a Tony in 1979 for Best Actor in a Play for Whose Life Is It Anyway? After transitioning to film in the '70s, his noteworthy early roles included Reuben, Reuben and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, both in 1985. Conti also appeared alongside Jennifer Aniston in Derailed (2005), in Julie Taymor's The Tempest (2010), played a prisoner in Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and appeared as Judge Gerald Biggleswade in everyone's favorite movie, Paddington 2 (2018).

Conti has been married to actress Kara Wilson since 1967. The couple shares one daughter, Nina, an actress and ventriloquist.

Jack Quaid (Richard Feynman)

Son of Hollywood royalty Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, Jack Quaid made his film debut in The Hunger Games franchise as Marvel. He appeared in Logan Lucky (2017), rose to fame as Hughie Campbell on The Boys (2019-present), and blew the roof off of Scream (2022). He's also racked up an impressive list of voice credits in Batman: The Long Halloween as well as Star Trek: Lower Decks, not to mention as one of the Peter Parkers in 2023's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Playing Manhattan Project physicist Richard Feynman, Quaid shared in an interview with GQ (via FandomWire) that even just being on the set was intoxicating for him as an actor. "Shooting that was such an incredible experience. Like, I'm like a blip in that movie, but it was just so incredible to sit there and watch true masters do what they do."

Michael Angarano (Robert Serber)

Michael Angarano has enjoyed memorable roles in the films Almost Famous (2000), Seabiscuit (2003), Sky High (2005), and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), as well as the television show Will & Grace in which he played Elliot, the son of Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes).

Angarano appeared with his Oppenheimer costar Olivia Thirlby in Snow Angels (2007) and had a memorable role in Steven Soderbergh's brilliant actioner Haywire (2011). In 2015, he starred in Wild Card and reunited with Thirlby in The Stanford Prison Experiment. More recent roles have included guest spots on series such as PEN15, Minx, and Angelyne.

Angarano is currently directing the upcoming film Sacramento, which stars himself, Kristen Stewart, and Michael Cera.

Josh Hartnett (Ernest Lawrence)

Josh Hartnett made his film debut in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), and starred in The Faculty the same year. He appeared in dueling war films (Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor) and a raunchy teen comedy (40 Days and 40 Nights) before recalibrating with roles in Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia (2006), Lucky Number Slevin (2007), 30 Days of Night (2008), and the indie drama August (2008).

More recently, Hartnett has starred on the Showtime series Penny Dreadful (2014–2016). In 2023, he appeared in Guy Ritchie's Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and an episode of Black Mirror's sixth season as a disturbed astronaut opposite Aaron Paul.

Hartnett has been married to English actress Tamsin Egerton since 2021, with whom he shares three children.

Matthew Modine (Vannevar Bush)

Matthew Modine made his film debut in 1983's Baby It's You, followed by an ensemble role in Stanley Kubrick's anti-war film Full Metal Jacket (1987), and a lead part in Married to the Mob (1988). Starring roles in '90s staples such as Bye Bye Love and Cutthroat Island gave way to supporting parts in Any Given Sunday (1999) and Spike Lee's Bamboozled (2000).

The actor later appeared in the high-octane sequel Transporter 2 (2005) and in the rom-com Girl in Progress (2012). That year also marked Modine's first collaboration with Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight Rises, where he played Foley of the Gotham City Police Department. More recently, Modine has appeared in 47 Meters Down (2017), Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018), and the reboot of Wrong Turn (2021).

Modine has been married to makeup and wardrobe stylist Caridad Rivera since 1980. The couple share two adult children, ballet dancer Ruby and assistant director Boman. The actor is also the head of an organization called Bicycle for a Day, which encourages people to abandon motor vehicles for a bicycle, if only occasionally.

Josh Peck (Kenneth Bainbridge)

One of the few child stars who parlayed massive stardom at a young age into adult success with a refreshing lack of controversy, Josh Peck rose to fame as a cast member of Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show and in the film Snow Day (2000). He took a successful dramatic turn in the chilling drama Mean Creek (2004) before going on to anchor his own Nick series, Drake & Josh (2004–2007) alongside recently embattled costar Drake Bell. Peck moved into more adult fare with roles in Drillbit Taylor and opposite Ben Kingsley in The Wackness (both 2008). He appeared in the remake of Red Dawn (2012), with Al Pacino in Danny Collins (2015), and in Netflix's 13: The Musical (2022).

Last year, Peck revealed to PEOPLE that he used to rely on drugs and alcohol to combat social anxiety. "I had this illusion of becoming more confident and attractive when I was partaking," he shared. "I was trying to quiet that voice that woke me up every morning and told me I wasn't enough." He stopped, however, when his substance abuse led to those in the industry labeling him as unreliable on set. "I had worked so hard for this thing and I was getting very close to losing it," Peck said.

The actor still cannot believe his good fortune to be cast in Nolan's latest epic as Kenneth Bainbridge, director of the Manhattan Project's infamous Trinity nuclear test. On the YouTube talk show Chicks in the Office, Peck revealed: "I have this really small part in [Oppenheimer]. I was on set two days ago going, 'I'm the guy from Drake & Josh, like what am I doing here?' But I'm soaking it up."

Olivia Thirlby (Lilli Hornig)

Olivia Thirlby made her feature film debut in Paul Greengrass' real-time 9/11 thriller United 93 (2006), in which the actor portrayed United flight 93 passenger Nicole Carol Miller. She then had a small part in David Gordon Green's Snow Angels before rising to stardom with her role in Juno (both in 2007), playing the best friend of the eponymous pregnant teen. In 2008, she starred opposite her Oppenheimer costar Josh Peck in The Wackness, a sweet NYC-set summer fable.

Thirlby laid low for a few years before returning to cinemas with key roles in the rom-com No Strings Attached, Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret, and The Darkest Hour (all 2011). She played Judge Anderson in Pete Travis' remarkably depraved and highly entertaining Judge Dredd reboot, Dredd (2012), before starring opposite yet another Oppenheimer costar, Michael Angarano, in The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015), and appearing in the bio-drama Chappaquiddick (2018).

In 2011, Thirlby came out as bisexual. She was married to Jacques Pienaar, whom she met on the set of Dredd, from the end of 2014 until early 2021 when he filed for divorce. In 2023, Thirlby's Juno costar Elliot Page revealed that the two had a physical relationship during filming.

Kenneth Branagh (Niels Bohr)

Oppenheimer is Kenneth Branagh's third collaboration with Christopher Nolan, after appearing in Dunkirk (2017) and Tenet (2020). Brannagh is a celebrated director in his own right, having been recognized by the Academy for helming Belfast (2021), along with nominations for his Shakespeare films Henry V (1989) and Hamlet (1996), both of which he starred in. (EW declared Much Ado About Nothing to be "not just the greatest Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare film," but "perhaps the greatest cinematic Shakespeare adaptation ever," Oscars be damned.)

He also helmed recent Agatha Christie adaptations of Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2022), and the upcoming A Haunting in Venice (2023). Many viewers may recognize him for his turn as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) as well.

Brannagh was married to actor and writer Emma Thompson from 1989 until 1995. He then entered a relationship with Helena Bonham Carter until 1999. He has been married to art director Lindsay Brunnock since 2003.

James D'Arcy (Patrick Blackett)

Like many famous faces in Oppenheimer, James D'Arcy has worked with Nolan once before on Dunkirk. A renowned character actor, D'Arcy is best known for his MCU turn as Edwin Jarvis, butler to Howard Stark, in the series Agent Carter and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Other notable works include Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), and Cloud Atlas (2012). He also played the legendary Psycho actor Anthony Perkins in the playful biopic Hitchcock (2012) and directed the 2020 drama Made in Italy, starring Liam Neeson. D'Arcy can be seen next in the upcoming sci-fi series Constellation.'

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