Eddie Redmayne to Star in Morten Tyldum’s ‘The Last Days of Night’

Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne is taking on new biopic after being cast in Morten Tyldum‘s Last Days of Night for Black Bear Pictures. Deadline first reported the news, which sees Redmayne taking on the role of lawyer Paul Cravath, in his first landmark case, who faced the tumultuous litigation between the electricity giants Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse during what has been called “The Current War”.

The film will take place in New York, 1888 after Edison has patented his direct current (DC), and in an effort to eliminate his competition, hits Westinghouse with an unheard of $1 billion lawsuit against the Nikola Tesla-invented alternating current (AC). Westinghouse does the unthinkable himself and hires Cravath, a 26-year-old, just out of Columbia law school graduate to take on the case. Despite his youth, Cravath has a willingness to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to win against their domineering and formidable opponent Edison. It is a battle of wills, genius, and ambition to turn the lights on in New York.

Tyldum is working with his Oscar-winning Imitation Game screenwriter Graham Moore on the project. Ironically, their Imitation Game star, Benedict Cumberbatch, is also set to star in competing film for The Weinstein Company titled The Current War in which he will play Thomas Edison. The Last Days of Night will follow up Tyldum’s Passengers starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. After the promotional tour wraps on that film at the end of 2016, filming on this new project will reportedly begin production in early January for a fall release in 2017.

Redmayne seems like a spectacular choice to fill the role of Cravath. Already established as a prestige actor and a new biopic standard after The Theory of Everything and The Danish Girl, Redmayne’s involvement seems like a no-brainer. He has proven himself to be a mature and seasoned actor with a still youthful exuberance and style. Redmayne was just seen at Comic-Con promoting the Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.