Christopher Nolan can get just about any and every A-lister he wants in his movies at this point in his career, and the latest to join his new film is another mega star and Oscar-winner: Lupita Nyong’o.
Nyong’o, who most recently starred in “A Quiet Place: Day One,” joins a cast for Nolan’s next film that includes Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya, according to a report first in THR. No word on who she’s playing or anything about what the film is actually supposed to be (though there have been a lot of rumors, including everything from a vampire thriller, a father-son drama, or action movie), but we’ll update once we know more.
Universal Pictures, which is distributing the film but has yet to confirm it themselves, had no comment.
Nolan’s follow-up to “Oppenheimer,” his 13th feature, will begin shooting in early 2025. Nolan is writing, directing, and producing, and his partner Emma Thomas is also producing via their Syncopy banner.
Universal is already eyeing a release date of July 17, 2026 in theaters and IMAX.
Nyong’o lent her voice to another Universal Pictures film recently, the DreamWorks film “The Wild Robot.” The “12 Years a Slave” and “Black Panther” star will next be seen in “Lunik Heist” for Searchlight Pictures, in which she’ll star alongside Jared Leto and John Mulaney from director Kemp Powers. She’ll be another newcomer to a Nolan picture alongside Holland and Zendaya, while both Damon and Hathaway are veterans.
Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which won seven Oscars and grossed almost $1 billion at the box office, will be his second film with Universal after he left his long-time studio at Warner Bros. over how his movie “Tenet” was released during the pandemic and how the prior administration pushed to release films day-and-date on HBO Max.
THR first reported the casting news.
