Love & Science: A New Stephen Hawking Biopic

Screenshot taken from trailer

Working Title Films has just released the first trailer for Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne as the renowned British theoretical physicist. Jane Hawking, Stephen’s first wife, penned the book on which the film is based, and is played by Felicity Jones. While the film seems to cover a sizable arc of Hawking’s life—from excelling at university to meeting Jane to his devastating diagnosis with motor neuron disease to monumental academic achievement and acclaim—the trailer emphasizes Hawking’s relationship with Jane as the glue holding it all together. Of course, in the spirit of cinema appealing to the masses, the ‘all you need is love’ emphasis isn’t entirely surprising, but Hawking himself, after viewing a nearly complete version of the biopic (and this hasn't been the first) allowed his famous computer-generated voice to be used in the film, and that’s endorsement enough to pique my interest. Hell, even if it’s gotten the Hollywood treatment, a glimpse into one of the greatest minds of our time is reason enough to give this one a go.

Directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh, The Theory of Everything will be screened in the special presentations section at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival and will hit the States in early November, and the following January for the U.K.