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Mel Gibson is set to star in “The Professor and the Madman”, with Sean Penn in talks to co-star.
The film, about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, is based on Simon Winchester’s book, which Gibson acquired the rights to nearly two decades ago.
Gibson will produce and star as professor James Murray, who began compiling the dictionary in 1857. Penn would play Dr. William Chester Minor, who was an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane when he submitted more than 10,000 entries for the dictionary.
Farhad Safinia will direct the drama with production scheduled to take play in Europe in September.
Safinia re-wrote Todd Komarnicki and John Boorman’s original script. Bruce Davey of Icon is also producing.
The news comes via THR.
