The debate between alternating current and direct current in the distribution of electricity is the subject of a new biopic starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon. The Current War, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), traces the professional rivalry between inventor Thomas Edison and engineer George Westinghouse in the late 1800s in the United States of America. Edison backed direct current while Westinghouse favoured alternating current, and both men go to war in the trailer. Nicholas Hoult stars as inventor Nikola Tesla, who, when asked what he does for a living, says, “I fix problems for idiots.” The movie will be premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9 and will be released in the US on November 24.