Mantell Of Lewes

Treatment Deck
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Status: Development
English
105 Pages

Co-Production Countries:
UK, Ireland, Canada

Writer
Tom Edgerton

Genre
Historical, Biopic, True Story

Comparables
Amadeus, Lost City of Z, Dig, Ammonite

When a seventeenth century doctor uncovers the first evidence of Dinosaurs he must determine fact from faith before popular opinion and bitter rivals violently turn against him.

Gideon Mantell was born in 1790. At that time, only the Bible and works of classical Greek and Roman literature were considered credible accounts of ancient history. 

At no point did they mention a time period where huge reptilian beings roamed an Earth devoid of humankind. So consider what alarm there must have been when gigantic fossils began to show up and scientists began to suggest otherwise.

But not all were aligned in their thinking, and after a crippling accident befalls Gideon they do their utmost to undo his legacy – taking credit for his work and undermining dangerous conspiracy theories in keeping with religious fallacy. He dies alone and penniless in the name of his vocation, for the surety in his science, but with an unlikely ally ready to avenge him.

This is the true, unknown story of one man who dared question a universally accepted belief, and the extreme sacrifice he made to prove it as fact beyond reproach.

Writer
Gideon Mantell

Gideon Algernon Mantell MRCS FRS was a British obstetrician, geologist and palaeontologist.

His attempts to reconstruct the structure and life of Iguanodon, began the scientific study of dinosaurs. In 1822 he was responsible for the discovery of the first fossil teeth, and went on, against dissension from Church, State and learned colleagues to promote the studies of prehistoric times to the general public.

At the time of his death Mantell was credited with discovering 4 of the 5 genera of dinosaurs then known. Thanks to the vicious rivalry with colleagues it has taken almost 200 years to restore his reputation as one of Britain’s greatest scientists.

Source Material Information

  • Mantell’s letters, memoirs and published works are in the public domain
  • His contribution to the Natural History Museum in London remains one of the most visited artifacts in the collection

Further Reading