Did you remember that there was supposed to be a movie a couple years ago that starred the likes of Bendict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, and Nicholas Hoult? You'd be forgiven for not remembering that The Current War was ever a thing, but it was, and after some significant delays, the movie is now ready to take another crack at release. Rescheduled for this October, The Current War is on its way back, and a brand new trailer is here to help remind people what it is. Check it out.
The Current War follows the battle for supremacy over the power of electricity that was waged between such big names as Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch), George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) and Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult). Considering the value of powering a nation, the battle was heated and those involved didn't exactly play fair in order to take whatever advantage they could get.
Originally set for release in December of 2017, the film was hit by a one-two punch that knocked it out of release. First, the film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival to lackluster reviews, leading to word the movie was going to be retooled.
However, the bigger issue was that the film was being produced by The Weinstein Company. It was set to come out around the same time that allegations of sexual misconduct against co-head Harvey Weinstein began to surface. As the film was viewed as a potential awards contender, the movie was pulled from release fearing that the negative view of Weinstein would rub off on the film.
Then, The Weinstein Company declared bankruptcy. This put the film into a perpetual limbo where it sat until October of last year when Lantern Entertainment purchased the rights to the film as part of TWC's bankruptcy proceedings. Now a deal has been reached to distribute the film and it's back on the schedule.
The film has seen some significant changes, as the director has confirmed that new scenes have been added, and others have clearly been removed as the new cut is actually 10 minutes shorter than the one that screened at TIFF.
I have to say I was quite disappointed by the original reviews as I honestly thought The Current War looked pretty good. Based on this trailer, I still do. It's not all that different from the original trailer that was released almost two years ago, and while the version we see this fall might be a different cut, it certainly doesn't sound like it's going to be a drastically different film.
The cast is still amazing and the story is certainly one that makes for natural drama. Hopefully, these changes to the film, however, minor will be enough to improve the movie overall.
We'll find out when The Current War hits theaters this October.
