Benedict Cumberbatch's Thomas Edison lights up The Current War trailer
Benedict Cumberbatch is ready to light it up as Thomas Edison. After portraying Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, the Oscar-nominated actor is seen putting his mark on the historic inventor in the first trailer for The Current War.
In the footage, Cumberbatch is joined by Michael Shannon as Edison’s rival, George Westinghouse, who competes with Edison to “create a marketable and sustainable electricity system” for America in the 19th century. The third piece of this war is Nikola Tesla, played by Nicholas Hoult, who sticks to the shadows of this preview until the very end.
“I fix problems for idiots,” he says.
The Current Wars looks at what is dubbed “The War of the Currents,” which refers to events that introduced electricity through a series of power transmission systems. It was a slug fest between Edison, with his direct current electricity, and Westinghouse, with his alternating current system. You may have heard the story of how Edison killed an elephant named Topsy to discredit his opponent.
The cast of the film is bolstered by Katherine Waterson (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Matthew Macfadyen (Anna Karenina), and Tuppence Middleton (The Imitation Game).
Alfonso Gomez Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) directs The Current War, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this Saturday, Sept. 9, and enters select theaters on Nov. 24.
