Will ‘Oppenheimer’ be the ticket to Christopher Nolan’s elusive first Oscar?

It’s been more than two decades since filmmaker Christopher Nolan‘s first Oscar nomination, but he’s still waiting for his first victory. Will “Oppenheimer” be the film that finally nabs him the gold?

The first of Nolan’s five career nominations to date came 22 years ago. It was Best Original Screenplay for his and Jonathan Nolan‘s tricky, innovative script for “Memento,” a 2001 thriller about a man with short-term memory loss that was told in reverse order. That indie film led to bigger projects, including the “Batman” trilogy that marked his breakthrough in blockbuster filmmaking. The second of those, “The Dark Knight” (2008), was touted for potential Oscars and indeed received eight of them, but Nolan himself was snubbed entirely: no Best Picture, no Best Director, and no Best Adapted Screenplay.

He got his elusive first Best Picture nom for the sci-fi epic “Inception” (2010), for which he was also nominated for writing. But again, no Best Director bid. That would wait a few more years, finally coming for his 2017 war film “Dunkirk”; Nolan received Picture and Director bids for that one. Which brings us to “Oppenheimer.” On paper it’s Oscars catnip: a biopic (check) about an important historical figure (check) set during World War II (check) and featuring a highly pedigreed cast and crew (check). But will that translate to actual awards?

As of this writing the film ranks second in our odds for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, all of which would go to Nolan as producer, director, and writer of the film. If the odds hold true and he receives those nominations, it would be his first time contending in all three fields at the same time. Unfortunately for Nolan, though, for the moment he’s stuck behind Martin Scorsese‘s “Killers of the Flower Moon” in all three categories. “Flower Moon” has already screened at the Cannes Film Festival to rapturous reviews, so it might be tough for “Oppenheimer” to catch. But the story of Oscars is never fully written as early as July, so Nolan’s overdue narrative may yet boost him towards the winner’s circle.

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