In 2009, Paul Bettany starred as revolutionary naturalist Charles Darwin in Creation, which told of his struggles writing On the Origin of Species, and his grief following the death of his 10-year-old daughter, Annie. The film, based on a biography by Darwin’s great-great grandson, made just over half a million pounds worldwide.
Now, Walt Disney Studios is to attempt to reanimate the scientist in a new movie. Stephen Gaghan – whose previous script credits include Traffic and Syriana – is on board to direct from his own screenplay. He is currently about to direct Matthew McConaughey in a mining drama, Gold.
Jeremy Thomas, the producer of Creation, blamed its poor performance in part on the film’s limited airing in the US, where many distributors were wary of how its scientific certainties would play with the audience. A Gallup poll conducted in the year of its release found that just 39% of Americans accepted the theory of evolution.
