Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly set to play American mass murderer, cult leader, political activist, and preacher Jim Jones in an upcoming MGM movie.
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DiCaprio Will Star And Direct The New Jim Jones Film
DiCaprio has played several real-life figures in movies, including criminals, politicians, and business moguls, most of which are complicated characters in their own right. Throughout his career, DiCaprio has played iconic real-life figures such as J. Edgar Hoover in "J. Edgar," Howard Hughes in "The Aviator," and Jordan Belfort in "The Wolf of Wall Street."
The upcoming MGM movie, written by "Venom" writer Scott Rosenberg, will be produced by DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson through the actor's Appian Way Productions company. DiCaprio founded the company in 2001, and it has produced numerous films, including Academy Award-winning titles such as "The Revenant," "Shutter Island," "The Ides of March," and "Out of the Furnace."
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DiCaprio's latest movie will see him star opposite Jennifer Lawrence in Adam McKay's Netflix movie "Don't Look Up." He will also be starring in Scorsese's Apple Original movie "Killers of the Flower Moon."
Portraying A Prolific Mass Murderer
DiCaprio's upcoming role will likely be one of his most challenging ones to date, given the complexities behind the man that caused the mass murder-suicide of 918 people, 304 of whom were children. Jim Jones was the leader of the Peoples Temple cult group.
Jones was responsible for the mass suicide in his Jonestown community in November 1978. He and his followers constructed the community and claimed it to be a socialist paradise free from U.S. government oppression. Jones and his inner circle planned the mass suicide in the Guyana jungle colony, instructing members to swallow cyanide-laced punch.
Some of Jones's followers drank the poisoned punch willingly, while others had to be forced to do so at gunpoint. Before committing the infamous murder-suicide, Jones and his followers had killed .S. Representative Leo Ryan and four other people. They were in Jonestown to investigate reports of human rights violations.
Not to spoil the upcoming movie, but Jones had died in an apparent suicide after Jonestown. It isn't clear if MGM will be going with that theory or if it would be going in a different direction.
Jones' followers praised him for his magnetism and purported faith-healing abilities, but he was also mocked for being paranoid. He was also accused of repeatedly abusing some of his followers.
His narrative has inspired several books, documentaries, and television specials, the most recent of which being "Truth and Lies: Jonestown, Paradise Lost," a 2018 documentary released on the 40th anniversary of the catastrophe. The documentary is now available to watch on Hulu.
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