Millennium Media‘s new project, Tesla, has found its lead in Ethan Hawke (The Magnificent Seven), who will play the famous electricity pioneer, Nikola Tesla.
The film is being introduced to buyers at the European Film Market this week in Berlin. Tesla is written and directed by Michael Almereyda (Cymbeline), who previously worked with Hawke on Hamlet and Cymbeline.
The biopic will chronicle the life and times of the famed Serbia-born inventor, who was known for designing the alternating-current (AC) electric system, which is “still the predominant electrical system uksed across the world today.” He is also known for creating the Tesla coil, still currently used in radio technology. Tesla created and developed a number of other inventions, and is credited as being the pioneer in the discovery of X-ray technology, radar technology, remote control, and the rotating magnetic field.
The Tesla biopic will include the inventor’s creation of the AC motor as well as his fierce rivalry with Thomas Edison, who originally worked together before parting ways due to conflicts in their business and scientific relationship.
The film is being produced by Uri Singer and Isen Robbins for Passage Pictures, along with Christa Campbell and Lati Groman for Campbell Grobman Films. Jeff Rice is serving as the executive producer. Production on Tesla is set to start this spring in upstate New York.
