11. Thomas Edison & Nikolai Tesla
The favorite historical rivalry among nerds, engineers and physicists, Tesla and Edison engaged in an intense rivalry and mutual disliking of the other. Edison, an established inventor at the time, hired Tesla, an up and coming genius, to come and work at his company. After Edison promised to pay Tesla $50,000 to solve a problem with one of his inventions, Tesla worked for months and eventually solved the problem but Edison refused to pay the money and instead offered a marginal pay raise. Insulted, Tesla left the company and struck out on his own, sparking a bitter rivalry. The film adaption would show their mutual attempts to undermine each other and their competition over alternating current versus direct current. The film could play off the respective eccentricities and differing styles of the respective inventors: Tesla was more of a visionary who would solve problems before implementing any kind of method while Edison was more of a businessman (hence why he's more remembered) and favored rigorous experimentation. While Edison is often viewed as the villain in the rivalry, I think that a more even handed approach to the two inventors wold work best as both men simultaneously push each other to new heights and undermine each other.
Casting Choice: Frank Langella sort of looks like Edison although he might be a little old for the role. James Mcavoy bears a slight resemblance to Tesla (not a lot but enough for a movie) and both of them are good enough actors to pull it off.