"You're going to make a movie about me? The hell is that?"

You know this trend where Hollywood is taking historical or public domain characters and turning them into action stars? You know, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allen Poe and some others in development like Channing Tatum as Peter Pan.

Well, Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, xXx) wants to do the same thing for Sir Isaac Newton. Yes, he wants to turn the man who formulated the theory of gravity into a summer blockbuster headliner. Here’s the plot:

Cohen will write a script, which will focus on Newton as the chief detective and head of the British Mint. He also will oversee the design of a graphic novel based on the script.

OK, someone remind me what Newton was famous for?

Director Rob Cohen has partnered with producer Gene Kirkwood, who executive produced Rocky back in 1976, to develop a franchise based on Newton, the historical figure that is known for his work in the fields of physics and mathematics.

But wait, Newton was only the warden of the Royal Mint? His big thing was that he was in charge of England’s recoining. And he was in his mid-50′s. So this thing obviously makes no sense. At all. Gah, I give up.

I expect Newton to have an American accent, do things other than math and physics and spend his time killing bad guys rather than working in an office at the Royal Mint recoining England. [THR via FilmDrunk]

isaac newton