Christopher Nolan recreated first nuclear weapon detonation without VFX for 'Oppenheimer'

There is nothing ace filmmaker Christopher Nolan cannot do to keep things real in his films and his latest revelation about his much-anticipated movie 'Oppenheimer' proves the same. The 52-year-old recently revealed that he recreated the first nuclear weapon detonation without using any VFX or CGI effects for his upcoming movie.

Nolan shared that he favours practical effects over VFX. And, that is quite evident in his work as he once blew up a real Boeing 747 to shoot an important scene for 'Tenet'.

While speaking to Total Film magazine, the director said, "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."

"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," Nolan added.

Nolan's film is based on nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was universally regarded as the "father of the atomic bomb". He was alsothe director of the Manhattan Project, which was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons.

Speaking further about the film in the interview, Nolan shared that 'Oppenheimer' is a "story of immense scope and scale".

"It's 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," he shared.

The director continued, "I had an extraordinary crew, and they really stepped up. It will be a while before we're finished. 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."

Starring Martin J. Sherwin. Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and Florence Pugh, 'Oppenehimer' will hit the theatres on July 21, 2023.

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