The Real Reason Oliver Stone Turned Down An Oppenheimer Movie
Oscar-winning "Platoon" filmmaker Oliver Stone has tackled his fair share of historical figures and events in his films, from controversial politicians including impeached President Richard M. Nixon in "Nixon" to the probe into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in "JFK." However, Stone apparently didn't feel up to the task of taking on the life and career of J. Robert Oppenheimer, who came to be known as "the father of the atomic bomb."
The legendary theoretical physicist led the way in developing the atomic bomb as a means to end World War II, and writer-director Christopher Nolan took on the gargantuan task of telling his complicated story in "Oppenheimer." In a pair of tweets and follow-up posts, Stone revealed how he once had the opportunity to make a film about Oppenheimer and why he ultimately passed on the project.
"Saturday, I sat through 3 hours of #Oppenheimer, gripped by Chris Nolan's narrative," Stone wrote in his first tweet. "His screenplay is layered & fascinating. Familiar with the book by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin, I once turned the project down because I couldn't find my way to its essence. Nolan has found it."
Stone also gave Nolan the ultimate compliment in his second tweet, writing, "#Oppenheimer is a classic, which I never believed could be made in this climate. Bravo."
Stone calls Nolan's direction 'mind-boggling & eye-popping'
Among the reasons Oliver Stone felt Christopher Nolan found the essence of the scientist's story stems from the filmmaker's unique direction and the performances delivered by the "Oppenheimer" cast. In particular, Stone was impressed with Cillian Murphy, who was nearly TV's Oppenheimer 10 years ago when "Manhattan" creator Sam Shaw considered the actor for the role of the theoretical physicist.
"[Nolan's] direction is mind-boggling & eye-popping as he takes reams of incident and cycles it into an exciting torrent of action inside all the talk," Stone wrote in the tweet. "Each actor is a surprise to me, especially Cillian Murphy, whose exaggerated eyes here feel normal playing a genius like #Oppenheimer."
A three-hour historical epic, "Oppenheimer" recounts two major periods in J. Robert Oppenheimer's life simultaneously. Nolan explores Oppenheimer's university years, the failings of his personal life, and his work on the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb, which is layered with scenes of closed-door hearings in front of politicians with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Under the guise of false claims against Oppenheimer, politicians are trying to discredit the lauded scientist, who took a cautionary stance on using nuclear weapons during the Cold War since he was haunted by the human destruction the atomic bombs caused in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Oppenheimer's complex predicament is highlighted in Stone's second tweet. "Aside from the points mentioned in my previous post, the movie packs in the essence of the tragedy of #Oppenheimer, a man historically in the middle of an impossible situation, though one, as Nolan shows, partly of his own making," Stone wrote.
"Oppenheimer" is playing in theaters.