Rising star Eddie Redmayne caught everyone’s eye with his performance in last year’s “Les Miserables” and now is on the verge of landing the biggest movie role of his career thus far. The project is “Theory of Everything” and Redmayne would be playing physicist Stephen Hawking. Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker James Marsh (“Man on Wire”) is set to helm the picture.
“Theory of Everything,” penned by Anthony McCarten, will explore the relationship between Hawking and his wife. It surely will be a very challenging role for Redmayne. Anyone familiar with Stephen Hawking is aware of the fact that he’s been battling a motor neuron disease that’s related to ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) for the majority of his life. He was first diagnosed at age 21 and doctors expected he had about two more years to live. Understandably, news of the diagnosis left Hawking depressed and he saw little reason to continue with his studies. Those feelings started to change when Hawking began a relationship and got engaged to his soon-to-be wife, Jane Wilde, who, as Hawking put it himself, gave him “something to live for”. It will be interesting to see how the relationship is explored in the film and what Redmayne can bring to the role.
No word yet on who will play Hawking’s wife, but filming is expected to start in the early fall. [Deadline]