"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" star Katherine Waterston joins "Doctor Strange" actor Benedict Cumberbatch and "Man of Steel" actor Michael Shannon in Weinstein Company's "The Current War." She has landed the female lead.
According to Deadline, Waterston will play as George Westinghouse's wife Marguerite Erskine in "The Current War." Shannon will play as her husband and Cumberbatch on board as rival Thomas Edison. "Mad Max: Fury Road" actor Nicholas Hoult is reportedly playing Nikola Tesla, and "Burnt" actress Sienna Miller is being courted for an undisclosed role.
"The Current War" revolves around the battle between Edison and Westinghouse over the supply of electricity to market it to the U.S., Variety reported. Edison championed the use of a direct current for electric power distribution over an alternating current, which was backed by several European companies and Westinghouse Electric.
The script of "The Current War" is written by Michael Mitnick and takes place in the late 1880s. It is one of the two projects that are generating sparks on the Edison-Westinghouse subject. Morten Tyldum's "The Last Days of Night" is starred by Eddie Redmayne as famed lawyer Paul Cravath and based on Graham Moore's own book that was published through Random House.
"The Current War" is directed by "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" filmmaker Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. It will be produced by Film Rites' Steve Zaillian and Garrett Basch alongside Timur Bekmambetov, who was originally eyed to direct. It will be financed and distributed by TWC.
Waterston has a busy year ahead of her with not only "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" bowing later this month but also the Steven Soderbergh-directed film "Logan Lucky" coming out next year. She is also seen in the Ridley Scott-directed film "Alien: Covenant" to be scheduled for release next summer. She is represented by UTA and Silver Lining Entertainment.
TWC is eyeing an early December shoot for "The Current War."
Watch the video of Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston talking about the "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" movie:
