WATCH: New trailer for ‘The Current War’

The film from 101 Studios stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison, Nicholas Hoult as Nikola Tesla and Michael Shannon as George Westinghouse.

Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”), “The Current War” follows the race to bring electrical power to the masses, and the rivalry between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, aided by legendary genius and maverick, scientist Nikola Tesla.

Image: Screengrab from 101 Studio’s video “THE CURRENT WAR :: OFFICIAL TRAILER – In Theaters This October” via YouTube/101 Studio

Benedict Cumberbatch plays famous inventor Thomas Edison, who, backed by JP Morgan (Matthew Macfadyen), is about to bring electricity to Manhattan with his radical new direct current (DC) technology.

But his plans are upset by businessman George Westinghouse (Shannon) and young genius Nikola Tesla (Hoult), who discover fatal flaws in Edison’s DC design. When Westinghouse and Tesla unveil their own solution to the problem, the rival alternating current (AC), the two sides battle for the right to power the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, sparking the “war of currents.”

Written by Michael Mitnick, “The Current War” also stars Katherine Waterston, Tom Holland and Tuppence Middleton.

Although “The Current War” premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, Gomez-Rejon has made substantial changes to the movie’s theatrical cut since then, including several new scenes and a brand-new score.

Timur Bekmambetov and Basil Iwanyk are producing, with Martin Scorsese, Steven Zaillian, Garrett Basch, Michael Mitnick, Ann Ruark, Michele Wolkoff, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adam Ackland and Adam Sidman as executive producers.

“The Current War” will hit select regions in Europe and Asia beginning July 2019, with a United States release in October 2019. RGA/JB

RELATED STORIES:

WATCH: Christian Bale, Matt Damon steer fast-moving trailer of ‘Ford v. Ferrari’

WATCH: New ‘Lion King’ teaser features the voice of Beyoncé