The South African born actor and musician Johnny Flynn and Geoffrey Rush will play a young and old version of Albert Einstein in National Geographic Channel's (DStv 181) first scripted TV series entitled Genius.
The first season of the Genius anthology series is based on Walter Isaacson's Albert Einstein biography, Einstein: His Life and Universe, and production will start next month (September) in Prague.
As with several other FOX channels and National Geographic Channel shows the past two years, the Albert Einstein series with 10 episodes will start in South Africa and 170 other countries on the National Geographic Channel simultaneously in 2017.
The Albert Einstein drama will tell the story of a young Albert Einstein, years before he rose to fame - a period during which he was a lowly patent clerk who couldn't get an academic job, and long before his famous research and equations.
Each episode of Genius will explore Albert Einstein's scientific achievements, along with his volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships.
"The caliber of the Genius cast lives up to the show's title," says Carolyn Bernstein, the executive vice president and head of global scripted development and production at the National Geographic Channel.
"The supremely talented Geoffrey Rush is dream casting for the role of Albert Einstein, and Johnny Flynn not only is an incredible talent but also bears more than a passing resemblance to Rush."
"National Geographic's unwavering commitment to excellence and their support and passion for this project has helped us attract talent such as Geoffrey and Johnny. My excitement for this project grows every day, and I cannot wait to get started," says executive producer Ron Howard in the statement, who will also be the director of the first episode of Genius.
