Leonardo DiCaprio will play Leonardo da Vinci in a new movie.
The ‘Revenant’ actor will portray the legendary painter in a motion picture based on Walter Isaacson’s book named after the artist, following a seven-figure bidding war, in which Paramount beat off competition from Universal.
According to Deadline, DiCaprio will produce the project alongside Jennifer Davisson.
Sources told the site that Elizabeth Raposo, Paramount’s president of production, had a big hand in helping the company win the rights to the tome.
DiCaprio is said to have been named after the painter as his mother was looking at one of his artworks at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, when the then-unborn Leo kicked for the first time in 1974.
Da Vinci – who died in May 1519 aged 67 – is known for creating masterpieces, such as the ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘The Last Supper’.
The Hollywood star hasn’t been seen on the big screen since winning the Best Actor Academy Award for his role in ‘The Revenant’, but he is set to appear in two forthcoming Martin Scorsese films, ‘The Black Hand’ and ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’.
DiCaprio’s recent movies include playing Jordan Belfort in 2013’s ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, J. Edgar Hoover in 2011 motion picture ‘J. Edgar’, and he starred as Jay Gatsby in ‘The Great Gatsby’.
One of his biggest movies to date was 1997 epic ‘Titanic’, and he recently reunited with his fellow stars Kate Winslet and Billy Zane at his foundation’s annual charity auction in St. Tropez, France, in the film’s 20th anniversary year.
Leonardo starred as third-class passenger Jack who falls for Kate’s alter-ego Rose, despite being on the boat with her fiance, Cal, who was portrayed by Billy.
Leonardo DiCaprio to play Leonardo da Vinci
