DiCaprio to Produce and Star in JFK Assassination Movie

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio is set to star in and produce a forthcoming movie centered around the assassination of JFK, the Washington Post has reported.

The movie, which is based on the 2008 Lamar Waldron/Thom Hartman book, will see the actor play an FBI informant, Jack Van Laningham, helping the investigation into the murder of John F. Kennedy.

In the book, Laningham claims to have witnessed the confession of New Orleans Mafia boss Carlos "The Little Man" Marcello to the murder of President Kennedy.

Film website FirstShowing.net has stated that DiCaprio was first shown the book by his father, and it is said to contain "new and recently declassified" information from both the National Archives and the FBI.

"Apparently the confession came about after a dangerous and long-secret undercover operation, wherein the FBI positioned Van Laningham to become a confidant to Marcello, who ruled organized crime in Louisiana and most of Texas for decades. The 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations said mobster Santo Trafficante and Marcello 'had the motive, means, and opportunity to assassinate President Kennedy.'" FirstShowing.net reports

The announcement for production of the film comes, coincidentally, 47 years ago to the day that President Kennedy was murdered.

Legacy of Secrecy is set to be released in 2013 -- 50 years after JFK’s death.