Warner Bros have secured the rights to the biopic of British maths genius Alan Turing, and it seems as though Leonardo DiCaprio is their top choice for the role.
Leonardo DiCaprio remains a busy man. With the lead role in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming J Edgar, as well as roles in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained lined up, as well as being rumoured to be paying the role of an assassin in the adaptation of Santori, Mr DiCaprio doesn’t exactly seem short on work at the moment. And he might just have a bit more on his plate: he’s linked with playing the role of British maths genius Alan Turing.
Turing was instrumental in breaking German ciphers during the Second World War, and later, in the development of computer science and artificial intelligence. Sadly, despite how brilliant he was and the role he played in the war, he faced prosecution because of his sexuality, with homosexualitystill illegal in Britain in the 1950s. Turing accepted chemical castration over a prison sentence and died a couple of years later, in what was assumed to be suicide, by ingesting a cyanide-laced apple.
It’s certainly an interesting story and one that seems to have awards season glory written all over it. Warner Bros must have a similar view as they shelled out a seven figure sum to secure the rights to the script of The Imitation Game, which is penned by first time screenwriter Graham Moore.
It’s still early days as the deal, but already, Ron Howard is reportedly interested in directing.
More details on the project when they’re available.
Deadline
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