"X-Men: Apocalypse" actor Nicholas Hoult is in final talks to play the role of the inventor Nikola Tesla in The Weinstein Company's "The Current War." He might be the most recent actor to bring Tesla to life on screen.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Tesla worked for Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) in the 1880s in "The Current War." He eventually went on to work for George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) and license patents to aid him in the alternating current side of the electric battle.
"The Current War" will revolve around the battle of two power titans Edison and Westinghouse over the supply of electricity. Edison championed the use of a direct current for electric power distribution over an alternating current that was backed by several European companies and Westinghouse Electric.
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is set to direct "The Current War" based on the script by "The Giver" writer Michael Mitnick. "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" director Timur Bekmambetov was originally eyed to direct it. Now, he is to produce it together with Film Rites' Steve Zaillian and Garrett Basch.
"The Current War" will be financed and distributed by The Weinstein Company. It is one of the two films to tackle about the Edison-Westinghouse competition. The other film is Morten Tyldum's "The Last Days of Night" developed by Black Bear Pictures.
"The Theory of Everything" actor Eddie Redmayne will star in "The Last Days of Night." He will play as the lawyer of Westinghouse Paul Cravath. He ensued following Edison's discovery of the electrical current, Variety reported.
Hoult recently wrapped Fernando Coimbra's film "Sand Castle" and just finished production on the J.D. Salinger biopic "Rebel in the Rye." The 26-year-old English actor recently reprised his role as Hank McCoy and Beast in "X-Men: Apocalypse" last May. He is repped by UTA.
"The Current War" is planning for an early December shoot. "The Last Days of Night" is targeting for a February shoot.
Watch the video of Nicholas Hoult in talks to play the famous inventor Nikola Tesla in "The Current War":
