'Tesla': Release date, plot, cast, and all you need to know about Ethan Hawke-starrer biopic of the visionary
While Nikola Tesla may not have gotten his due in his lifetime — often being overshadowed by Thomas Edison's marketing skills — the genius inventor is now being paid homage in many different ways. There's Elon Musk's company, Tesla, there's Christopher Nolan's own version of Tesla in his film, 'The Prestige', and now a new film will feature the futurist at the front and center with Ethan Hawke set to play him in the eponymously named 'Tesla'.
Tesla's antagonism with Edison may be well known but 'Tesla' is set to give you a whole other look at the inventors. There's one detail that's explored in the film that no one else talks about, one that makes Nikola Tesla a less ideal hero. Read on to know more about the film.
Release date
'Tesla' will be available to rent on virtual theatres on Friday, August 21, including here.
Plot
The official synopsis for the movie states: "Brilliant, visionary Nikola Tesla fights an uphill battle to bring his revolutionary electrical system to fruition, then faces thornier challenges with his new system for worldwide wireless energy. The film tracks Tesla’s uneasy interactions with his fellow inventor Thomas Edison and his patron George Westinghouse. Another thread traces Tesla’s sidewinding courtship of financial titan JP Morgan, whose daughter Anne takes a more than casual interest in the inventor. Anne analyzes and presents the story as it unfolds, offering a distinctly modern voice to this scientific period drama which, like its subject, defies convention."
The detail that the film includes is that Nikola Tesla believed in eugenics and wrote in 1935, "The year 2100 will see eugenics universally established. In past ages, the law governing the survival of the fittest roughly weeded out the less desirable strains." Eugenics grew less popular after the Nazis' interest in it during World War II but has been making a resurgence of late.
Cast
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke is an award-winning actor best known for his roles in 'Dead Poets Society', 'Before Sunset', 'Boyhood', 'Training Day', and more. In 'Tesla', he plays the role of Nikola Tesla.
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle MacLachlan is an actor best known for his roles in 'Twin Peaks', 'Showgirls', 'How I Met Your Mother', and 'Agents of SHIELD'. He plays the role of Thomas Edison.
Eve Hewson
Eve Hewson is an Irish actress known for her roles in 'The Luminaries', 'The Knick', and 'Bridge of Spies'. She plays the role of Anne Morgan.
Jim Gaffigan
Jim Gaffigan is an actor and comedian known for his roles in 'The Jim Gaffigan Show', 'Bob's Burgers', and 'That 70's Show'. He plays the role of Tesla's patron, George Westinghouse.
The movie also stars Donnie Keshawarz as JP Morgan, Blake DeLong as William Kemmler, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Szigeti, and Josh Hamilton as Robert Underwood Johnson.
Director
Michael Almereyda
Michael Almereyda is a director, screenwriter and film producer known for 'Hamlet' (starring Ethan Hawke), 'Experimenter', and 'Cymbeline'. He directed and co-produced 'Tesla'.
Trailer
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