Photo Provided by CBS

Joining the growing list of projects in development about the famed Serbian-American scientist Nikola Tesla is TESLA & TWAIN, a pitch acquired by CBS Films. The project was written by Eric Siegel, with The Jungle Book‘s Brigham Taylor producing, the Tracking Board has confirmed.

Known for his contribution to the field of electricity, particularly with his patented AC induction motor, Tesla crossed paths with many notable names, including Thomas Edison and Julian Hawthorne. This project details the real historical friendship between Tesla and novelist Mark Twain in a fictional adventure story.

Tesla and Twain became close friends in the mid-1890s and they reportedly spent a lot of time together, both in Tesla’s lab and elsewhere.

This is the latest film project about Tesla, joining the likes of projects in development at Warner Bros. and Passage Pictures. The most notable depiction of him on screen was the late David Bowie’s performance in The Prestige. Nicholas Hoult is set to take on the figure next in The Current War with Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison and Michael Shannon as George Westinghouse.

Alex Ginno is overseeing the project for CBS.

Siegel was a producer and writer for the TBS series Men at Work and also wrote the pitch for Emojimovie: Express Yourself, currently in production at Sony. He’s repped by APA.

—TO SEE ALL THE PROJECT DETAILS CLICK HERE—

Anya Crittenton | Associate Editor