Actress Louise Lombard is the latest star to be added to Christopher Nolan’s already impressive Oppenheimer cast list - stacked to the brim with many of Hollywood’s most elite. The upcoming biographical thriller is set to explore the life of one of the fathers of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer.
The physicist was in charge of the Manhattan Project, which developed the nuclear weapons that were ultimately dropped in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the height of World War II. Nolan's Oppenheimer is actually an adaptation of the book, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. The upcoming Universal movie will not only follow Oppenhiemer through WW2 but will deeply dive into the events that followed quickly after, leading to his ultimate exile by the American government. It seems as though new cast announcements for Nolan’s film are arriving nearly every week, with Lombard and Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of The Apes, Terminator: Genisys) as the most recent newcomers.
Deadline first reported on Lombard joining the cast of Oppenheimer. Of course, as with Clarke's role, details on Lombard's character are seemingly unknown at this time. However, they are joining a top-tier lineup of stars that includes Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Dylan Arnold, David Krumholtz, Alden Ehrenreich, Michael Angarano, Kenneth Branagh, and David Dastmalchian.
Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy will be playing the leading titular role of J. Robert Oppenheimer, while Blunt has been cast to play his wife, communist botanist Katherine Oppenheimer. Downey Jr. Will be playing the Chair of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Lewis Strauss, while Damon takes on the role of Leslie Groves, The Manhattan Project’s Director. Lombard may be most known for taking on the crime drama genre with full force, most notably for her role as Los Vegas Police deputy Sofia Curtis in CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation series. She has also appeared in various other shows such as Grimm, Lethal Weapon, and Stargate Universe.
However, most recently, Lombard reprised the role of Trish Daniels for the romantic After franchise’s second film, After We Fell. Lombard debuted as Daniels in After We Collided and will return to the role in After Ever Happy, which is currently in post-production. Other notable credits of Lombard include her work in The House of Elliot, My Kingdom, and Hidalgo. Oppenheimer will be produced by Nolan, alongside Emma Thomas and Charles Rovan.
Due to Nolan’s sudden departure from Warner Brothers last September, the film will instead be distributed through Universal. Filming has reportedly already begun for the project’s huge cast, on location in New Mexico. Given that this film is the latest project from the director who brought audiences The Dark Knight series, Dunkirk, and Inception, Nolan's Oppenheimer is highly anticipated, to say the very least, with promising box office predictions to match.
Oppenheimer is set to hit theaters on July 21, 2023.
Source: Deadline