Hollywood legend James Woods is an executive producer on the hit movie Oppenheimer, an early favorite to win the Oscar for best picture. The Christopher Nolan historical drama beat all Hollywood expectations bringing in $174 million in two weeks domestically and $400 million in global box office total.
Woods is the reason the movie happened (see below) and because Hollywood tried to blackball him after he came out as a solid common sense conservative, this may be his greatest industry triumph.
Woods’ loyal fans, who stayed with him through thick and thin, have been offering their heartfelt congratulations to the Hollywood icon for not backing down to the mob and beating Hollywood at its own game. And he just responded with a sincere tribute back.
He said: “So many of you have been so supportive of my career, and I am truly humbled and honored. #Oppenheimer has been a high water mark, of course, thanks to the brilliant efforts of the great Christopher Nolan and everyone involved.
“Someone sent this meme that says it all (see below).”
The story behind the movie: James Woods’ old friend from MIT tried to get the movie made for years but got nowhere. He reached out to Woods who got behind the project and went to work.
It wasn’t easy but James got it done.
“Around the world, we’ve seen sellouts at 4 a.m. shows and people traveling hours across borders to see ‘Oppenheimer’ in Imax 70mm,” says Imax CEO Rich Gelfond.
“This is a phenomenon beyond compare in Imax and we’re just getting started.”
“This is a 1940s period piece,” says Universal’s president of domestic distribution Jim Orr. “That speaks volumes to the appeal of Nolan and his prowess as a filmmaker. He has an amazing reputation for storytelling in the biggest format possible.”
Woods said earlier: “Because I wholeheartedly support both my unions (SAG-AFTRA and WGA) while on strike, I am not allowed to do promotional work on productions in which I performed services as an actor or writer.
“I am extremely proud of this work as an executive producer, however. #Oppenheimer”
After the movies received an A from CinemaScore, Woods said:
“Our audiences are why we make movies. Thank you for your support.
“And thank you for supporting our striking actors and writers.
According to The LA Times:
Since 2015, the film rights had been under option by J. David Wargo, a successful New York businessman who studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was itching to get the book into production. Various scripts had been commissioned and rejected.
“Then, during the midst of the pandemic, Wargo got frustrated with the project and flew out to L.A. on a rented private plane and went to Hollywood,” Bird explained.
In L.A., Wargo met with the actor James Woods, an old friend, who set up a meeting with Charles Roven, one of Nolan’s longtime producers. Roven handed the book to the director. (Wargo and Woods are both executive producers on “Oppenheimer.”)
As it happened, Nolan had recently completed “Tenet,” a movie that references the atomic bomb, and one of its stars, Robert Pattinson, had given the director a book of Oppenheimer’s speeches as a wrap gift.
So many of you have been so supportive of my career, and I am truly humbled and honored. #Oppenheimer has been a high water mark, of course, thanks to the brilliant efforts of the great Christopher Nolan and everyone involved. Someone sent this meme that says it all. pic.twitter.com/t2QS3L0Lqf
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 30, 2023
Because I wholeheartedly support both my unions (SAG-AFTRA and WGA) while on strike, I am not allowed to do promotional work on productions in which I performed services as an actor or writer.
I am extremely proud of this work as an executive producer, however. #Oppenheimer https://t.co/vNcSxlXnsN
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 18, 2023