Oppenheimer’s New York red carpet, starring actors Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., has been postponed due to the ongoing SAG AFTRA strike.
A US-based media outlet claims that the red carpet for the ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ premiere, which was set for July 18 in Los Angeles and starred Zoe Saldaa, Laysla De Oliveira, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Kelly, was the first to be cancelled. This was followed by the red carpet for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film Oppenheimer, which was scheduled for July 17 in New York.
“In support of the ongoing SAG strike, the filmmakers of Oppenheimer will not be proceeding with the NY premiere as originally planned and will instead screen the movie to celebrate the crew and craftspeople who contributed to making this landmark film,” Universal said in a statement.
On Saturday morning, actors joined the picket line as the strike got underway at midnight on Friday.
The guidelines state that the 160,000 affected union members are forbidden from engaging in any significant on- and off-camera work, including voice acting and narration, as well as promotional activities like interviews, premieres, festivals, FYC events, award shows, and podcasts, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The ‘Oppenheimer’ London premiere was barely completed on time due to Universal moving the carpet time up by an hour to allow the star-studded cast to take pictures and do interviews before the strike started. Actors Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Cillian Murphy departed the event before the screening when the strike was announced.
The biopic, which is set during World War II, follows Oppenheimer, known as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” during the time when he knew that testing the atomic bomb would send off an atmospheric explosion and wipe out humanity but still decided to press the button.
