David S Goyer, who has written and produced next year’s clashing superhero blockbuster Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, will be producing a new historical thriller called Principia, focused on Isaac Newton.
According to Deadline, the plot sees mathematician and physicist Newton on the hunt for a criminal four centuries ago. Newton spent a surprising amount of his life devoted to solving crimes, tracking down counterfeiters in particular. The title is a reference to his book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which laid the foundations for classical mechanics.
Reports suggest that the script is in a similar vein to Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige.
Warner Bros acquired the project from a pitch by Christian Contreras, an actor who’s played small roles in Zero Dark Thirty and Fury, and he is now writing the script. Contreras has also written Labyrinth, a drama about Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. which is currently being developed.
Goyer has also written the scripts for Man of Steel and Batman Begins and directed horror film The Unborn in 2009. Newton has been the subject of TV docudrama Isaac Newton: The Last Magician, where he was played by Jonathan Hyde. A previous attempt to turn Newton into an action hero was announced back in 2012 by Fast & Furious director Rob Cohen but it failed to materialise.
