A teaser trailer has been released for director Christopher Nolan’s upcoming biopic Oppenheimer – watch it below.

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Cillian Murphy leads the cast as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who is widely credited as the “father of the atomic bomb” for his role in the Manhattan Project.

The teaser features narration from a variety of characters, describing Oppenheimer’s impact as “the man who moved the Earth” alongside shots of Murphy as the historical figure.

“You gave them the power to destroy themselves,” a voice says. “It made him the most important man who ever lived.”

The trailer also shows a countdown to the film’s release date: July 21, 2023. This is preceded by another countdown of 11 months, 24 days, 15 hours, 29 minutes – alluding to the launch of the first nuclear weapon by the United States at 5:29am on July 16, 1945.

The teaser will be shown before screenings of Jordan Peele’s new sci-fi horror Nope which opens in UK cinemas on August 12.

Aside from Murphy, other cast members include Emily Blunt as Robert’s wife Katherine Oppenheimer, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie and Josh Hartnett.

Speaking about the role, Murphy said: “I’m interested in the man and what [inventing the atomic bomb] does to the individual. The mechanics of it, that’s not really for me – I don’t have the intellectual capability to understand them, but these contradictory characters are fascinating.”

Oppenheimer will be Nolan’s first film with Universal after parting ways with his long-standing studio Warner Bros.