Leonardo DiCapri to Become 'Rasputin' in Movie Written by 'American Sniper' Scribe

If you're screenwriter Jason Hall, you're enjoying a pretty damn good streak. The scribe previously wrote American Sniper, a movie based on the life of Chris Kyle, which will be directed by Steven Spielberg and star Bradley Cooper. He's also adapting the book Thank You for Your Service, which Spielberg has also expressed interest in, with the director possibly wanting to reteam with Daniel Day-Lewis on. Not bad, huh?

Not content with bursting onto the screenwriting scene with those accomplishments, Deadline reports that Hall has sold a script called Rasputin to Warner Bros., with the studio seeing it as a star vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio. The film would be a new spin on the life of Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, with "new elements here unearthed by Hall that sparked DiCaprio’s interest and gave psychological depth to the so called 'mad monk.'"

DiCaprio is still chasing that elusive Oscar, and with The Great Gatsby not being an awards-caliber film, his next best chance is with Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. If that film doesn't deliver, can Rasputin finally break the actor's dry spell? Based on DiCaprio's career, Rasputin will lock in a top-tier director, a key component in what kind of performance DiCaprio gives. I don't see Scorsese adding this one to his plate, though.