There are a couple of Stephen Hawking films out this year, one of which is the documentary Hawking which he co-wrote about his own life and will be screening at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year, something I hope to see myself.

However there's word out of a dramatic film to be made from his life story and there's a star already at the front of the line to play the famous physicist.

Eddie Redmayne is the man who may well play one of the greatest minds of our time, Stephen Hawking. You can read more about the theoretical physicist who has become the Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge and not only has delivered many great works in the scientific community but also has become a bestselling author with his superb book A Brief History of Time ( / ), all the time coping with motor neuron disease, being paralysed and communicating through a computer he now controls with a facial twitch, and being married twice with three children. Now that man is an inspiration.

I'm not sure if Eddie Redmayne is actually attached to play the man or not, the story in Deadline is a little vague on that point, but the article in Deadline does say that he is being "fought over" for his next leading role and while two roles are mentioned, one is in the adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd, the other is for the story of this great man, and the words of the article suggest that the first to move is the Hawking film.

The film won't be his entire life though, apparently it will focus on the relationship between Hawking and his wife with the actress set to play his wife still being sought. Written by Anthony McCarten who doesn't have a huge list of credits to his name to be able to see similar projects and guess a tone to the script but he did adapt his novel Death of a Superhero for film.

Redmayne is a superb actor and you could easily see him inhabiting the role and delivering a powerful character performance. It has great potential to become one of his career defining roles if the script is there too, here's hoping.

Meanwhile watch out for the Hawking documentary at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.