Princeton University Press part of licensing agreement
Princeton University Press has joined with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in a licensing arrangement with a film company to produce movie about Albert Einstein.
Polsky Films announced Tuesday that it has obtained exclusive film rights to Einstein’s life story.
Headed by Alan and Gabe Polsky, the film company said it will produce the first-ever epic motion picture focused on the personal triumphs and tragedies of Einstein.
Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity which led to the development of the atom bomb, lived in Princeton from 1933 until his death in 1955. He was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study during this time.
Princeton University Press is the publisher of Einstein’s writings and "The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein," which includes the formerly sealed letters, other correspondence, scientific and non-scientific writings. It is considered one of the most ambitious documentary publishing ventures ever undertaken.
Princeton University Press will release a new volume of Einstein’s general interest writings, "Einstein On Politics: His Private Thoughts And Public Stands On Nationalism, Zionism, War, Peace, And The Bomb," in May.
Walter Isaacson, former managing editor of Time magazine, CEO of Cable News Network and author of "Einstein: His Life and Universe," has signed onto the movie project as a consultant.
The biography is scheduled to be released by Simon & Schuster this month and will include information from the 3,500 pages of letters that were recently released by Princeton University Press, 20 years after the death of Einstein’s stepdaughter.
"We are honored to be entrusted with telling the story of this amazing individual who has had such a great impact on humanity," said Alan Polsky.
Gabe Polsky added, "We are grateful to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Princeton University Press, and Corbis for allowing us to share with the world the complete story of Einstein’s brilliant, remarkable and fascinating life. This is a great responsibility, and we will do what it takes to make sure this story is told in a truthful, creative and powerful way."
Corbis exclusively represents the Hebrew University in protecting and licensing rights to use its Einstein archive and Princeton University Press represents its rights in Einstein’s collected papers and letters.
Recognized as Time magazine’s "Person of the Century in 2000," Einstein is considered among the first true global celebrities. According to Polsky Films, the film will explore the personal struggles felt by a man that the entire world would later look to as an icon, despite Einstein’s reluctance to acknowledge his own legend.
"We are confident that Polsky Films is the right team to bring Einstein’s story to life because of their incredible passion for and understanding of Einstein," said Martin Cribbs, director of rights representation at Corbis. "Over the years, we’ve received a number of inquiries, but Polsky Films’ proposal was the one that truly captures the essence of Einstein, an amazing yet complex individual. We are looking forward to having Polsky Films help bring the whole story of Einstein to the big screen."
The comprehensive deal with Corbis includes consultation with leading experts on Einstein, including the Albert Einstein Archives of the Hebrew University, which holds the personal and scientific papers of Einstein.
Einstein was one of the founders of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, today a leading research university, and bequeathed the ownership of all his intellectual rights and archive to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem after his death.