NM-filmed 'Oppenheimer' picks up 13 Oscar nominations; 'Flamin' Hot' gets solo nomination for original song

The New Mexico-filmed “Oppenheimer,” an awards staple this season, continued its run of recognition, picking up 13 Oscar nominations Tuesday, including for the coveted best picture.

The nominations were announced by Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid.

Director Christopher Nolan picked up a nomination for best director and another for best adapted screenplay.

In the acting categories, Cillian Murphy, who portrays physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, picked up a nomination for best actor.

Murphy will compete against Bradley Cooper in “Maestro,” Colman Domingo in “Rustin,” Paul Giamatti in “The Holdovers” and Jeffrey Wright in “American Fiction.”

Robert Downey Jr., who portrays Lewis Strauss in “Oppenheimer,” is nominated for actor in a supporting role. He will compete against Robert De Niro for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Sterling K. Brown for “American Fiction,” Ryan Gosling for “Barbie” and Mark Ruffalo for “Poor Things.”

Emily Blunt, who portrays Katherine Oppenheimer, was nominated for supporting actress in a supporting role. Blunt will compete with Danielle Brooks for “The Color Purple,” America Ferrera in “Barbie,” Jodie Foster in “Nyad” and Da’Vine Joy Randolph in “The Holdovers.”

Ludwig Göransson picked up an Oscar nomination for the “Oppenheimer” score.

“Oppenheimer” also garnered nominations for costume design, as well as makeup and hair, production design, film editing, sound and cinematography.

The final nomination for “Oppenheimer” came in the best picture category. The film is in the category alongside “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Past Lives,” “Poor Things” and “The Zone of Interest.”

“Oppenheimer” is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin.

It follows Oppenheimer’s journey working with the team behind the Manhattan Project as they developed what would become the atomic bomb.

Production on the film began in early 2022 in Los Alamos, Abiquiú, Santa Fe, Belen and Albuquerque.

The film didn’t have a home base, as the entire movie was filmed on location and tons of work had to be done in advance for the film.

According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production employed about 190 New Mexico crew members and 1,200 New Mexico background actors and extras.

“Year after year, New Mexicans contribute to critically-acclaimed tv series and films like ‘Oppenheimer,’” said Amber Dodson, New Mexico Film Office director. “We congratulate every New Mexican who was a part of this iconic film. Its 13 Oscar nominations celebrate our workforce, businesses, property owners, and communities. Let it be known to the world that New Mexico is a place where world-class content is routinely made with breathtaking landscapes, skilled crews, and a competitive incentive.”

“Oppenheimer” wasn’t the only New Mexico-filmed production to get an Oscar nomination, as songwriter Dianne Warren picked up a best original song nomination for “The Fire Inside” from the film, “Flamin’ Hot.”

“Flamin’ Hot” is inspired by the story of Richard Montañez, who’s said to have invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos while working as a janitor at Frito-Lay. Eva Longoria directed the film and it was based in Albuquerque.

The Oscars will broadcast on March 10.