'Drake and Josh' star Josh Peck has joined the sprawling cast of filmmaker Christopher Nolan's World War II epic 'Oppenheimer'.He will play Kenneth Bainbridge, a real scientist who was involved in the Manhattan Project, the code name for America's effort to develop nuclear weapons during the second world war.Cillian Murphy is starring as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the movie, which examines the physicist whose contribution led to the creation of the atomic bomb, reports variety.com.Murphy will be surrounded by an A-list ensemble, including Emily Blunt as biologist and botanist Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Manhattan Project director Leslie Groves Jr. and Robert Downey, Jr. as founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Lewis Strauss.There are at least a dozen other recognizable actors already on board. Florence Pugh will play psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie will portray theoretical physicist Edward Teller and Josh Hartnett will embody pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.
Rami Malek, 'This Is Us' and 'Sky High' actor Michael Angarano, 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' star Alden Ehrenreich, Kenneth Branagh and Matthew Modine will also appear in the film.Universal Pictures is backing 'Oppenheimer', which costs $100 million to produce.It's scheduled to release in theaters on July 21, 2023.In addition to directing, Nolan is adapting the screenplay from the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer' by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin.Peck rose to fame at a young age, first appearing on 'The Amanda Show' from 2000 to 2002 and later starring alongside Drake Bell in the Nickelodeon sitcom 'Drake and Josha' from 2004 to 2007.Peck will next star opposite Debra Messing in Netflix's '13: The Musical', which premieres later this year.And in a crossover event tailored for millennials, he is reuniting with his former 'Drake and Josh' co-star Miranda Cosgrove in the revival of "iCarly," which is gearing up for its second season on Paramount Plus.He's also writing a memoir titled 'Happy People Are Annoying'.