The role Leonardo DiCaprio was born to play is finally here. No, really — according to Hollywood lore, Leo kicked for the first time in his pregnant mother's belly when she was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in Italy. Thus, the name was given, and now, Deadline reports that the 42-year-old will play the man who started it all in an upcoming Leonardo da Vinci biopic.
After an intense bidding battle, Paramount won the rights to Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (the author behind Steve Jobs, the inspiration for the Michael Fassbender hit) over Universal, so it's full steam ahead for what's sure to another classic Leo project.
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Produced by Appian Way, which is helmed by DiCaprio alongside Jennifer Davisson, the film has neither a full cast list nor a release date. However, we can safely predict its success based on the production company's impressive repertoire, which includes The Wolf Of Wall Street and The Revenant.
According to Deadline, the source material for the upcoming feature uses Da Vinci's notebook to craft the bulk of the narrative, alongside his achievements in art and science, such as his little-known interests in fossiles, botany, and weaponry. (Perhaps most shockingly, the artist used to look under the skin of cadavers to draw the muscles of their face and lips). When it comes to his personal life, the icon was actually a bit unconventional for his time: heretical, untamed, and also homosexual.
There's definitely more to the artist than we learned in history books, and who better to bring that untold story to life than his Oscar-winning namesake?