By Lindsey Bahr
Christopher Nolan is ready to show the world the first full-length trailer for his new epic " Oppenheimer " and he's doing so in the splashiest way possible: With an exclusive IMAX spot in front of "Avatar: The Way of Water."
The "Oppenheimer" trailer will debut globally on IMAX screens playing the "Avatar" sequel, which begins its theatrical run Thursday. It will not be made available online and is distinct from the trailer that will show on non-IMAX screens.
Nolan's film, about the enigmatic, Harvard-educated theoretical physicist who helped develop the first atomic bomb, is based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer," and stars Cillian Murphy in the title role. The thriller explores the paradox of the man who infamously called himself the "destroyer of worlds."
"The immersive quality of IMAX is massively important in transporting the audience into the mind and experience of this person who forever altered our world," Nolan said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The star-studded cast includes Emily Blunt as Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer, his wife, a biologist and botanist, Matt Damon as Manhattan Project director General Leslie Groves Jr. and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett and Kenneth Branagh are also among the large ensemble.
Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (who collaborated on "Dunkirk," "Tenet" and "Interstellar") used a combination of IMAX 65mm and 65mm large format film to shoot the film, which also boasts the first ever use of IMAX black and white analog photography for some sections.
In an interview with Total Film magazine this week, Nolan said that they recreated the Trinity test, the first successful detonation of a nuclear weapon, without the use of CGI. He also said it's one of the most challenging projects he's ever undertaken.
Universal Pictures plans to release "Oppenheimer" exclusively in theaters on July 21.
Lindsey Bahr is an AP film writer
ABC will air 6 additional “Monday Night Football” games starting this week with Bills-Jets
ABC will simulcast six more ESPN "Monday Night Football" games, including Monday's AFC East matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets.
The addition of the six games means ABC will air 17 this season — 14 simulcasts with ESPN (including two playoff games) and three games exclusively on ABC.
The decision to simulcast more games was a joint decision between the NFL and Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC and ESPN.
The other added games are Baltimore at Tampa Bay (Oct. 21), Tampa Bay at Kansas City (Nov. 4), Houston at Dallas (Nov. 18), Baltimore at Los Angeles Chargers (Nov. 25) and New Orleans at Green Bay (Dec. 23).
The only two Mondays the rest of the regular season where ABC will not have a game are Nov. 11 and Dec. 2.
ABC had games all 18 weeks last season due to an agreement with the NFL since there was no new original fall programming due to the Hollywood writers and actors strikes. With more games on network television, "Monday Night Football" averaged 17.36 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, a 29% increase over 2022.
It was the best audience numbers for the league's seminal prime-time package since 2000. The Super Bowl 57 rematch between Philadelphia and Kansas City averaged 29.03 million.
Coming into the season, ABC had eight scheduled simulcasts, including two Saturday Week 18 games and two playoff games, and three exclusive MNF games when there were doubleheaders.
It also continues Disney's move toward putting more sports programming back on ABC. Super Bowl 61 from Los Angeles in 2027 will be on the network and the College Football Playoff championship game will also move to ABC the same year.
More games on ABC will also boost the ratings. Kansas City's 26-13 victory... Read More