I've always been fascinated by Nikola Tesla. He seems like he was the world's first real mad scientist, with the Tesla Coil looking like some sort of Doomsday Weapon (and he actually did theorize on things like particle beam weapons). Which is strange that we haven't seen more films focused on him, minus of course David Bowie's take in the underappreciated in-between Batmans Nolan film THE PRESTIGE.
However, it looks like that's about to change. Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Nikola Tesla in the film THE CURRENT WAR, which is set in 1884 and chronicles the war for control of electricity in America, between Thomas Edison's direct current and George Westinghouse (and Tesla's) alternating current. Tesla began working with Edison before parting ways and selling patents to Edison's rival Westinghouse. Shady dealings and underhanded tricks ensue. Hoult joins the previously cast Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison and Michael Shannon as Westinghouse.
This sounds awesome! I love this story, and have always been fascinated by the "Age of Invention" at the turn of the century. This also sounds like it will have some parallels to the modern tech boom in Silicon Valley and such, where big businesses will take over and screw over inventors (who are also usually hampered by social awkardness like Tesla reportedly was). But even if the film doesn't go that direction, Tesla, Edison, and Westnghouse are larger-than-life historical figures, and it should be fun seeing Cumberbatch, Shannon, and Hoult bounce off each other playing these outsized characters.
No release date has been set at this time.
So what do you guys think? And what historical period would you like to see that hasn't had a movie yet?