Christopher Nolan Confirms Filmmaking Hiatus Until Strikes Resolve

Though the Directors Guild of America ratified its deal with the AMPTP earlier this summer, Christopher Nolan won’t be working on a film until both the writers’ and actors’ strikes have resolved. In one new chat, Nolan said he would “absolutely” not work on a film until the issues at hand are resolved, calling it a pivotal moment for working people in Hollywood.

“No, absolutely. It’s very important that everybody understands it is a very key moment in the relationship between working people and Hollywood,” Nolan said in a new interview with BBC News. “This is not about me, this is not about the stars of my film.”

Though Oppenheimer is nearing its release and isn’t subject to a production stoppage, the film’s promotion cycle was disrupted when SAG-AFTRA ordered a strike this week. At the time, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and others walked off the film’s England red carpet as a part of the guild’s prohibition to promote films during a strike.

“I have to to acknowledge the work of our incredible cast, led by Cillian Murphy,” Nolan said of the ensemble at the event. “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.”

Joining Oppenheimer lead Cillian Murphy are Emily Blunt as Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie as Edward Teller, Michael Angarano as Robert Serber, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer, David Krumholtz as Isidor Isaac Rabi, Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush, Josh Peck as Kenneth Bainbridge, Devon Bostick as Seth Neddermeyer, Matthias Schweighöfer as Werner Heisenberg, Christopher Denham as Klaus Fuchs, Guy Burnet as George Eltenton, Danny Deferrari as Enrico Fermi, Emma Dumont as Jackie Oppenheimer, Gustaf Skarsgård as Hans Bethe, Trond Fausa Aurvåg as George Kistiakowsky, and Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman.

Opening on July 21st, Oppenheimer is based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.