Leonardo DiCaprio to play Alan Turing
Ron Howard tipped to direct
Mathematical genius, enigma codebreaker, architect of the modern computer and all-round British legend Alan Turing looks set to receive the Hollywood biopic treatment, with Leonardo DiCaprio attached to Warner Brothers' acquisition of Graham Moore's script The Imitation Game.
Ron Howard is mooted to direct Game , which will cover the events of an incredible life which was filled with great excitement and deep tragedy.
Despite being one of the key figures in the defeat of the Nazis, Turing was criminally prosecuted for his homosexuality, forced to undergo chemical castration and eventually committed suicide by eating a cyanide-laced apple.
Which would obviously make for an incredibly dark third-act, with an insider describing the script as being "The King’s Speech without the huge uplifting ending.”
Which seems to be something of an understatement. But Turing's story could actually have a fairly uplifting ending, following Gordon Brown's official apology in 2009 for Turing's treatment during the war.
That apology is below - tell us you wouldn't want to hear it read out over the credits.
"Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can't put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him…"
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"So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan's work I am very proud to say: we're sorry, you deserved so much better."
Sam Ashurst is a London-based film maker, journalist, and podcast host. He's the director of Frankenstein's Creature, A Little More Flesh + A Little More Flesh 2, and co-hosts the Arrow Podcast. His words have appeared on HuffPost, MSN, The Independent, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, and many more, as well as of course for us here at 12DOVE.