Wayne Wang To Direct Albert Einstein Biopic

Wayne Wang's career has certainly been eclectic. He broke through with a trifecta of critical and arthouse faves with "The Joy Luck Club," "Smoke" and "Blue In The Face" but he's also taken big swings into broad mainstream fare ("Maid In Manhattan," "Last Holiday") while still taking chances on ambitious independent pics ("The Center Of The World"). And the ever restless Wang is now switching things up again.

Deadline reveals that Wang will next direct a biopic of famed theoretical physicist Albert Einstein. Working under the tentative title of "Einstein," the film has a script from Academy Award winner Ron Bass (“Rain Man,” “Entrapment,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding”) and will chronicle the physicist's life and achievements. While he is best known for given us E=mc² and for making it acceptable for geniuses to have wild unkempt hair, the man who revolutionized physics also had a intriguing life outside of science: he emigrated from Germany as the Nazis rose to power, helped birth the Manhattan Project, became a U.S. citizen and was a champion for civil rights.

The film is likely to shoot in Germany and throughout Europe and while there is no one yet set for the lead, casting will begin shortly. As for Wang, he's currently putting the finishing touches on his period drama "Snow Flower And The Secret Fan" which will feature a musical number by Hugh Jackman.