AP Photo
J. Robert Oppenheimer changed the world during his time in New Mexico.
He is credited as being the “father of the atomic bomb” with his role in the Manhattan Project.
And his story is set to hit the big screen in 2023 in “Oppenheimer,” which is slated to film in New Mexico this year. The film is being directed by Christopher Nolan and the cast features some heavy hitters as well, among them Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett and Benny Safdie.
Cillian Murphy is slated to play Oppenheimer.
The project is in preproduction in New Mexico, though it has not registered with the New Mexico Film Office.
There will be a casting call on Saturday at Garson Theater, 1600 St. Michaels Drive, in Santa Fe. There will also be one on Sunday at the Los Alamos High School Auxilary Gym, 1300 Diamond Drive in Los Alamos. The casting call will run from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the respective days.
Hey, being in a crowd scene, reenacting an important piece of history, maybe even a bit part handing a cuppa coffee to a recognizable star would be a kick. And my guess is this will be a good film. The days of glorifying historic death and destruction are well behind us. Except for Republican agitprop, nowadays.
Eideard 
Two new feature films are set to begin production in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County on Jan. 31 https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/entertainment/2022/01/28/two-new-feature-films-begin-production-las-cruces-dona-ana-county-movies-fake-gun-fire-crime-parking/9261428002/
Film Las Cruces will also be hosting an online workshop Feb. 8 from 6-8 p.m. for those interested in working on film crews. The membership coordinator for IATSE Local 480, the state’s largest film technicians union, will be on hand to answer questions. Email info@filmlascruces.com for more information.
See also Film Las Cruces on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/filmlc and the Film Las Cruces website https://www.filmlascruces.com/ includes a link to Film Las Cruces Casting Email List to sign up for casting call notifications.
IATSE Local 480 overflow list for film technicians https://local480.com/overflow/
New Mexico continues to offer one of the most competitive incentives package in the industry which includes a 30% to 35% Refundable Film Production Tax Credit and the Film Crew Advancement Program.
“Hundreds turn out for ‘Oppenheimer’ casting call” (Santa Fe New Mexican) https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/hundreds-turn-out-for-oppenheimer-casting-call/article_bf6ea392-814f-11ec-9b8f-9704e961f169.html
On December 20, 1913 Cecil B. deMille sent his partner, Jesse L. Lasky, a telegram about renting a barn in “a place called Hollywood,” for the production of “The Squaw Man,” the first feature film to be made in America. https://artsmeme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Telegram-480.jpeg
‘Sam’ is a reference to Samuel Goldwyn. In 1913, Goldwyn, along with his brother-in-law Jesse L. Lasky, Cecil B. DeMille, and Arthur Friend formed a partnership, The Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company, to produce feature-length motion pictures. Production of ‘The Squaw Man’ began in ‘Hollywood’ on December 29, 2013.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/e5tA24ib565M-VyLBh0ggabtYSDPdTsSEURZjiqHE7aBrXdKvaHkyg8nRdEH9LpzlQ=s1200
7AM MST, tomorrow morning, 14th
“Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ Unveils First Look at Cillian Murphy as Atomic Scientist” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/christopher-nolan-oppenheimer-cillian-murphy-1235097497/
“The Universal feature, which has started production in New Mexico, has also added Kenneth Branagh to the call sheet, along with actor Michael Angarano.
The star-studded cast, includes Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid and Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich and David Krumholtz.
Murphy first teamed with Nolan on Batman Begins (2005) where he portrayed the Scarecrow after auditioning for Batman. He has also appeared in Nolan’s Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Dunkirk (2017).
Oppenheimer is based on the 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin.
Production is expected to include shooting on Imax 65mm and 65mm large-format film, with Nolan having recruited director of photography Hoyte Van Hoytema, who worked with him on Tenet, Dunkirk and Interstellar, and editor Jennifer Lame and composer Ludwig Göransson, who both also worked on Tenet.
Universal has set a North American theatrical release date of July 21, 2023.”
“Rotarians Hear About ‘Oppenheimer’ From County Film Liaison Kelly Stewart” https://losalamosreporter.com/2022/04/05/rotarians-hear-about-oppenheimer-from-county-film-liaison-kelly-stewart/
Film location representatives estimate that the production’s “total spend” in Los Alamos is between $400,000 and $450,000, including building and parking lot rentals, lodging, meals at restaurants, and fuel.
Re: ‘black screens and other movie magic’, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ava4Z3sJMLk