In the upcoming true-story movie, the 'Titanic' actor is expected to portray the controversial leader of the Peoples Temple who led his congregation to commit mass suicide.
- Nov 10, 2021
AceShowbiz - Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly in final talks to star in "Jim Jones".
The actor is being lined up to play the religious cult leader of the Peoples Temple, who was behind the 1978 mass suicide of more than 900 people at his Jonestown settlement.
The upcoming MGM movie has been written by "Venom" scribe Scott Rosenberg and Deadline has reported that DiCaprio is set to take on the lead role.
Jones founded the Peoples Temple - which he described as a fully integrated congregation promoting Christian Socialism - in 1955, and by the 1970s he had rejected traditional Christianity and claimed to be God.
He built his commune in Guyana in 1974 and, four years later, told his followers to drink Flavor Aid which was laced with cyanide.
MGM bosses have secured a deal for the project while DiCaprio is set to produce alongside Jennifer Davisson via their Appian Way company, with Rosenberg also set to executive produce.
The film won't be the first time the Academy Award-winning star has played an historical figure; he took on the role of con man Frank Abagnale in "Catch Me If You Can" and Howard Hughes in "The Aviator" before playing frontiersman Hugh Glass in "The Revenant", which earned him the best actor Oscar in 2016.
He also has two other movies in the pipeline as he'll be starring in the upcoming Netflix comedy "Don't Look Up" alongside a star-studded cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Timothee Chalamet, Meryl Streep, and Ariana Grande.
And Leo is set for Apple Original Films project "Killers of the Flower Moon", which comes from director Martin Scorsese and also stars Jesse Plemons and Robert De Niro.
