Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to star as cult leader in ‘Jim Jones’ movie

Leonardo DiCaprio is in final talks to star in the film Jim Jones, according to Deadline. He will portray the title character of the 1970s religious cult leader behind the Jonestown mass suicide on November 18, 1978.

MGM has secured a deal for the project and the studio bought the Scott Rosenberg script for a reportedly seven-figure price tag. 

DiCaprio will produce the film with his Appian Way Company and Jennifer Davisson who will help bring to light this tragic event that took the lives of more than 900 people.

The Oscar-winning actor has played a ton of challenging roles which include a drug-addicted stock broker, a left-for-dead frontiersman, and a struggling actor looking for any sign of validation, but this might be one of the toughest psychological roles DiCaprio has ever tackled. 

After that tragic event, Jones orchestrated a mass murder-suicide of his followers by drinking Flavor Acid laced with cyanide. This took the lives of 918 members which included 304 children.

The release date for 'Jim Jones' is yet to be announced.