'The Current War' Release Date Set For October After Two Year Delay

After premiering at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, The Current War was set to open in November of that year. The film was supposed to be a Weinstein Company release, but when the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein effectively killed TWC, The Current War was pulled from the release schedule. Now, the film – which tells the story of the battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse – will finally see the light of day.

Remember The Current War? It's okay if you don't. The historical drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon was supposed to open on November 24, 2017, only to be pulled in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations. There was some confusion as to whether or not audiences would finally get to see the film, but now we have the answer. Newly formed 101 Studios now owns the film, and they plan to release it this year, opening it in select theaters on October 4, 2019, and everywhere on October 11, 2019. Here's the official synopsis:

Three brilliant visionaries set off in a charged battle for the future in The Current War, the epic story of the cutthroat competition that literally lit up the modern world. Benedict Cumberbatch is Thomas Edison, the celebrity inventor on the verge of bringing electricity to Manhattan with his radical new DC technology. On the eve of triumph, his plans are upended by charismatic businessman George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), who believes he and his partner, the upstart genius Nikolai Tesla (Nicholas Hoult), have a superior idea for how to rapidly electrify America: with AC current. As Edison and Westinghouse grapple for who will power the nation, they spark one of the first and greatest corporate feuds in American history, establishing for future Titans of Industry the need to break all the rules.

I saw The Current War at TIFF, and I found it to be mostly enjoyable. That said, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon was unhappy with the version shown at the fest. "I knew in my heart, and every fiber of my body was saying, it's not ready. I was drowning in notes, to the point I was addressing them more than editing the film," the director told Deadline.

Harvey Weinstein apparently wasn't happy either, because he personally started recutting the movie after the premiere, something that understandably upset Gomez-Rejon. After The Weinstein Company fell apart, however, Gomez-Rejon was given a second chance to get things right. Since then, he's recut the film into the version he always wanted. "Everything missing is there now, including the right pacing that escalates the tension between these two men," He said. "The heart of the film is restored."

In addition to Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon, The Current War also stars Katherine Waterston, Tom Holland, Tuppence Middleton, Matthew Macfadyen, and Nicholas Hoult.