He'll also be on board as a producer for the book to screen adaptation.
If you ever got Leonardo Dicaprio and LEONARDO DA VINCI mixed up when you were a child, get ready because there's going to be a new generation of children that will do just that when the actor takes on the role of the Italian Renaissance painter in a new movie.
Leonardo DiCaprio at the Academy Awards
Paramount have already landed the rights to Walter Isaacson's biographical book 'Leonardo da Vinci' which is yet to be even published, and it has now been revealed that Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio has landed the lead role as well as being producer with Jennifer Davisson.
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the world's most famous painters and scientists, having created iconic pieces such as the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and the Vitruvian Man sketch. His work was the subject of Dan Brown's best-selling novel 'The Da Vinci Code' (and Ron Howard's film adaptation starring Tom Hanks) and now we get to return to that with an immense biopic coming at some point in the next few years.
It's just the latest biography from former Time magazine editor Walter Isaacson, who also wrote 'Einstein: His Life and Universe' (2007) and 'Benjamin Franklin: An American Life' (2003). In fact, the Albert Einstein volume was most recently transformed into the National Geographic mini-series 'Genius' starring Geoffrey Rush. Plus, the movie adaptation of his 2011 'Steve Jobs' book directed by Danny Boyle ended up being nominated for two Oscars.
Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio has got plenty to keep himself occupied until the new movie, being set to star in Martin Scorsese's thriller 'Killers of the Flower Moon' and gang drama 'The Black Hand' (both of which are also based on books) and he'll also be co-producing 'Captain Planet', 'The Corporation' and 'The Ballad of Richard Jewell'. He has also been working as a producer on the horror 'Delirium' coming later this year and 'Robin Hood'.
More: Leonardo DiCaprio hands back allegedly stolen Picasso painting
'Leonardo da Vinci' by Walter Isaacson will be published on October 17th 2017 via Simon & Schuster.
Ben Affleck launched his directing career 10 years ago with his film of Dennis Lehane's...
A wrenching saga of survival and revenge, Alejandro G. Inarritu's new epic is just as...
Hugh Glass is a skilled hunter, experienced in trapping some of the most predatory of...
Coarse and not exactly subtle, this dark drama might disappoint viewers expecting a more traditional...
At age 71, Martin Scorsese proves with this riotous romp that he's one of the...
It's a wild ride of drinking, drugs, debauchery and deception when the ambitious Jordan Belfort...
Jordan Belfort started out his stockbroker business in a tiny office with a small group...
Clearly something went horribly wrong as this thriller was being made, because despite a solid...
Jordan Belfort is a successful stockbroker, multi-millionaire and motivational speaker from New York who had...
Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) is the perfect director to take on F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic...