Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan Says He Recreated Nuclear Explosion Without CGI for Film

Despite massive helming studio blockbusters, Christopher Nolan has increasingly placed visual effects on the back burner in an attempt to make his productions as authentic as possible. Behind-the-scenes clips from Nolan’s Dunkirk and Tenet, amongst others on the filmmaker’s resume, have gone viral ten times over in the years since the films were released due to the practicality exhibited in the clips. That means when it comes to Oppenheimer, Nolan did whatever he cold to try replicating the first nuclear explosion ever created.

The film focuses on Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the head of the Manhattan Project, the government project tasked with creative the first nuclear weaponry for the United States. While Nolan didn’t go out of his way to build an actual nuclear weapon—somebody, somewhere would probably have an issue with that, after all—the filmmaker said in a recent interview that he and his crew managed to recreate the Trinity test, the first-ever nuclear weapons test, without the use of computer-generated imagery.

“I think recreating the Trinity test [the first nuclear weapon detonation, in New Mexico] without the use of computer graphics, was a huge challenge to take on,” Nolan in explained in a recent chat with Total Film. “Andrew Jackson – my visual effects supervisor, I got him on board early on – was looking at how we could do a lot of the visual elements of the film practically, from representing quantum dynamics and quantum physics to the Trinity test itself, to recreating, with my team, Los Alamos up on a mesa in New Mexico in extraordinary weather, a lot of which was needed for the film, in terms of the very harsh conditions out there – there were huge practical challenges.”

While crafting the explosion was challenging in its own right, Nolan added that the fact the film was a historical biopic presented “big logistical challenges.”

“It’s a story of immense scope and scale,” the director added. “And one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever taken on in terms of the scale of it, and in terms of encountering the breadth of Oppenheimer’s story. There were big, logistical challenges, big practical challenges. But I had an extraordinary crew, and they really stepped up. It will be a while before we’re finished. But certainly as I watch the results come in, and as I’m putting the film together, I’m thrilled with what my team has been able to achieve.”

In addition to Murphy, Oppenheimer features a star-studded ensemble of Hollywood A-listers, including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Gary Oldman, Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, and dozens of others.

Opening on July 21, 2023, 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.