Director Christopher Nolan has said he will not work on another movie until the end of the actor’s strike.
Nolan’s latest movie is Oppenheimer, a historical thriller starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. The SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14, 2023, with the actors in the film walking out of the London premiere.
“I have to to acknowledge the work of our incredible cast, led by Cillian Murphy,” Nolan said at the premiere (via Deadline). “The list is enormous — Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek and so many more. … You’ve seen them here earlier on the red carpet. Unfortunately, they are off to write their picket signs for what we believe to be an imminent strike by SAG, joining one of my guilds, the Writers Guild, in the struggle for fair wages for working members of their union.”
When asked if he would write another movie during the strike, Nolan told BBC, “No, absolutely. It’s very important that everybody understands it is a very key moment in the relationship between working people and Hollywood. This is not about me, this is not about the stars of my film. This is about jobbing actors, this is about staff writers on television programmes trying to raise a family, trying to keep food on the table.”
When does the Oppenheimer review embargo lift?
The Oppenheimer embargo lifts on Wednesday, July 19, at 12:00 pm EST/9:00 am PST.
The cast includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Dane DeHaan, Alden Ehrenreich, Matthew Modine, Jack Quaid, David Dastmalachian, Jason Clarke, Josh Peck, Devon Bostick, Gary Oldman, and Casey Affleck.
Oppenheimer releases on Friday, July 21, 2023, by Universal Pictures.