Cillian Murphy was apparently considered for the part of J. Robert Oppenheimer in a cable series that aired years before he was cast as the famed physicist in Christopher Nolan’s new biographical epic.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the husband-and-wife pair behind the two-season WGN America series Manhattan spilled on the various stars who were eyed for the role.
“A thousand percent, Cillian Murphy was on that list,” said Sam Shaw, the showrunner and producer of Manhattan. Lila Byock, who wrote for the series and is married to Shaw, said they also considered “some rock stars” for the role ― literally. The pair name-dropped David Bowie and Beck.
Manhattan ran from 2014 to 2015 and focused on the Manhattan Project, the United States’ top-secret World War II-era project to build the atomic bomb.
Patch Adams actor Daniel London was ultimately cast as Oppenheimer in the series. See a trailer for the show below:
Murphy was later confirmed to star in Nolan’s film in October 2021. His eventual efforts in Oppenheimer, which has earned over $200 million worldwide, were described by co-star Robert Downey Jr. as a “sacrifice” in an interview with People.
“I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career,” Downey said. “He knew it was going to be a behemoth ask when Chris called him. But I think he also had the humility that is required to survive playing a role like this.”
Oppenheimer ― along with Barbie ― contributed to the fourth-biggest box office weekend of all time after both films were released last week.