Charles Darwin movie ‘evolving’ at Disney

Disney has launched development on a Charles Darwin movie with Stephen Gaghan on board to direct from his own screenplay.

The studio acquired an untitled pitch from Gaghan, whose credits include writing the Oscar-winning “Traffic” and directing “Syriana” from his own script. Gaghan is in pre-production to direct Black Bear Pictures’ mining drama “Gold,” starring Matthew McConaughey.

Disney said the Darwin project is in early stages. Darwin, the English naturalist and geologist, established that all species of life have descended from common ancestors in his 1859 book “On the Origin of Species.”

Jeremy Thomas produced a Darwin movie, 2009’s “Creation,” starring real-life spouses Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany. That film, directed by Jon Amiel, focused on Darwin and his family as he struggled to finish “On the Origin of Species.”

The screenplay was written by John Collee based on the biography “Annie’s Box,” written by Randal Keynes, Darwin’s great-great grandson. “Creation” grossed less than $1 million worldwide.

The news was first reported by Deadline.com.