Two of Hollywood’s hottest actors in the same movie? That may sound like a fantasy for fans of Jake Gyllenhall (Southpaw) and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), but they are indeed both in talks to join the cast of The Weinstein Company’s The Current War.
If the deal makes, Gyllenhaal will play George Westinghouse, while Cumberbatch takes on the role of Thomas Edison. However, it will be the former who is the movie’s lead.
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) is in talks to helm the movie which was penned by playwright-screenwriter Michael Mitnick (The Giver). It’s expected that Gomez-Rejon will direct The Current War once he’s finished shooting Collateral Beauty with Will Smith.
The Current War takes place in the late-1880s and revolves around power titans Edison and Westinghouse’s battle over the supply of electricity. Edison championed direct current (DC) for electric power distribution over alternating current (AC), which was backed by several European companies and Westinghouse Electric. Various other actors and directors have flirted with adapting this Black List script in the past, but it now looks like it’s finally happening.
It’s obviously far too early to say whether or not this might be an Oscar contender, but with those two actors involved and the up and coming Gomez-Rejon at the helm, The Current War certainly has a lot of potential.