Jake Gyllenhaal and Benedict Cumberbatch are reportedly in talks to star in a new biopic about the rivalry between electric pioneers, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two A-list actors are currently being courted by The Weinstein Company, who are producing the film, which is entitled The Current War and based on Michael Mitnick’s long-gestating script.
TWC are also in discussions with Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (who directed this year’s YA indie wonder, Me Earl And The Dying Girl) to helm the film, which documents the feud between Edison and Westinghouse in the late 1880s, as they both competed to supply America with electricity.
Whether or not the two actors will follow through with discussions and officially sign up for the film is as yet unclear – and only seems more and more unlikely when you consider their busy schedules; With Gyllenhaal slated to shoot Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals in the Fall and Cumberbatch set to film both Doctor Strange and the fourth series of Sherlock next year.
The Current War has yet to receive a release date. Watch the trailer for Gyllenhaal’s latest film, Demolition, below.
