Deadline reports that Redmayne is close to landing the role of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, a new biopic to be directed by James Marsh, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Man on Wire, Shadow Dancer, and Project NIM. The story by screenwriter Andrew McCarten will center on the relationship between the theoretical physicist and his wife. A female lead is being sought right now in hopes of production beginning in the fall.
It's the kind of role that seems destined for a major Oscar push, as Hawkins is a man afflicted with ALS, yet has never allowed the disease to slow him down. Redmayne had been circling a role in Thomas Vinterberg's Far from the Madding Crowd, but he'll likely make playing Hawking his priority now.
