Russell Crowe’s new WWII movie, Nuremberg, is getting closer by the day, and the film just got yet another exciting update. Crowe will star opposite Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) and Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water) in Nuremberg, a retelling of the Nuremberg trials at the end of World War II, in which psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Malek) evaluated Nazis to determine if they were fit to stand trial for their war crimes. Crowe and Shannon previously worked together on Man of Steel. The film is based on the novel by Jack El-Hai, and James Vanderbilt wrote the script and is also directing.
Nuremberg director James Vanderbilt recently sat down for an interview ahead of the film’s November 7 release, and he spoke about Crowe’s commitment to his role as Hermann Göring and how the movie might not exist today without him: “Russell Crowe — he is one of the biggest reasons this movie exists today.” Nuremberg famously went through years of turmoil, with production companies pulling funding and distributors staying far away from the film. He continued, “We talked a lot about it. He said to me, ‘Look, it’s not a great mental space to live in for me.’”
However, being the Oscar-winning talent and class act that he is, Vanderbilt confirms that Crowe was “fully committed” and “did an incredible amount of research,” which included “traveling around Germany to the different places of [Göring]’s childhood. He really put himself to depth to it.” Vanderbilt wrapped things up by praising Crowe’s “commitment he put into this film and the work he did… He doesn’t necessarily need to do that anymore, but he was as hungry as an actor as I’ve ever seen anyone, and that was a true gift.”
‘Nuremberg’ Has Russell Crowe Back in the Oscar Conversation
Nuremberg premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, and critics were immediately buzzing about Crowe’s performance. It was also reported that Sony Pictures Classics plans to push for Crowe and his co-star Rami Malek to be nominated for Best Lead Actor. Nuremberg first debuted with a poor 45% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but it has since climbed out of this hole and sits at a respectable 60%. This could also continue to climb as more reviews for the film come in over the next month, but only time will tell.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Nuremberg.
- Release Date
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November 7, 2025
- Runtime
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148 minutes
- Director
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James Vanderbilt
- Writers
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James Vanderbilt, Jack El-Hai
- Producers
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István Major, Richard Saperstein, William Sherak, Bradley J. Fischer, Paul Neinstein
