A western with Leonardo DiCaprio?
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EXCLUSIVE: Westerns are continuing to have their moment in Hollywood, with this weekend’s ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ looking to pick up where last winter’s breakout ‘True Grit’ left off.
Now another project is gathering heat. ‘The Creed of Violence, a western-flavored script based on the 2010 novel from cult author Boston Teran, has attracted the attention of Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s eager to play one of the lead roles, according to a person who was briefed on the actor’s plans but could not talk about it publicly because he was not authorized to speak for DiCaprio. DiCaprio has been offered a lead part but has not decided whether he will accept it yet, a source said.
The movie has been in development with ‘In the Bedroom’ director Todd Field for several years; like ‘Cowboys & Aliens,’ the film is set up at Universal. A studio spokeswoman did not immediately have a comment on DiCaprio’s interest. A DiCaprio spokesman declined to comment.
‘Creed’ tells the 1910-era story of a criminal named Rawbone who tries to take a cache of weapons into Mexico as part of the country’s revolution but is caught and then accompanied by a government agent who, it turns out, shares a secret past with him.
DiCaprio could play either of the two characters, said the source. If he plays the government agent, it would continue a recent pattern of law-enforcement roles in movies ranging from ‘Shutter Island’ to the upcoming historical biopic ‘Hoover.’ If he plays the bad guy, it could mark the second time he’s going back to a harsh period of American history to do so: He looks to come aboard as the villain in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained.’
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-- Steven Zeitchik
