Gyllenhaal and Cumberbatch are in negotiations to star in the drama based on 19th-century feud between Thomas Edison and Westinghouse.
- Sep 25, 2015
AceShowbiz - Jake Gyllenhaal and Benedict Cumberbatch are in talks to star in The Weinstein Co.'s "The Current War". According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gyllenhaal will play George Westinghouse while Cumberbatch will portray Thomas Edison.
"Current War" takes place in the late 1880s and revolves around Edison and Westinghouse's battle over the supply of electricity. Edison was the defender of direct current (DC) for electric-power distribution while Westinghouse Electric and several other European companies wanted to distribute power via alternating current (AC).
"Me & Earl & the Dying Girl" director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is also in negotiations to helm the 19th-century feud drama. The screenplay, which landed on the 2011 Black List of hot unproduced projects, was penned by Michael Mitnick ("The Giver"). The movie is planned to start shooting in the Fall after Rejon finishes directing "Collateral Beauty".
Timur Bekmambetov, who was previously attached to direct the film, will produce along with Steve Zaillian and Garrett Basch. There is no official U.S. release date announced just yet, but the movie is expected to be released in 2017.
Gyllenhaal and Cumberbatch both previously worked with TWC, having starred in "Southpaw" and "The Imitation Game" respectively. Cumberbatch was recently seen in "Black Mass" opposite Johnny Depp while Gyllenhaal recently starred in "Everest (2015)", which became last weekend's newcomer at box office.
