Ben Stiller May Direct Thomas Edison Film, 'The Current War'

Although it's not what most people think of when the subject of Ben Stiller comes up, he's always been a successful filmmaker in his own right. Today saw the release of the trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which Stiller both stars in and directs, and the response was so strong many are starting to look at it as a potential Oscar favorite. And it seems like Stiller is ready to take his directing career to another level, as he's already working with Robert Downey Jr. on Pinocchio, and now he's taking on a project based on two of our most famous inventors.

Last year, Timur Bekmambetov became attached to helm The Current War, based on a Black List script by Michael Mitnick that chronicles the public war between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to supply stable electric current. Bekmambetov has now stepped down, moving solely into a producer role, and Stiller is one of a handful of names circling the directing gig.

It sounds like potential awards bait, fitting for producers The Weinstein Company and Steve Zaillian. The other names vying for the job have yet to be revealed, but hopefully we'll hear more soon.[THR]