Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill are attached to star in an adaptation of the Vanity Fair article "The Ballad of Richard Jewell." 20th Century Fox closed a deal to acquire the rights to the article on Tuesday.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film will follow the true story of security guard Richard Jewell, who became a suspect during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
The announcement comes shortly after the release of critically and commercially successful "The Wolf of Wall Street," starring DiCaprio and Hill.
Variety reports that DiCaprio will produce the film through his company Appian Way, along with Jennifer Davisson Killoran. Hill will also produce with Kevin Misher who brought in the article, written by Marie Brenner.
The article concerns Jewell, an olypmics security guard who discovered pipe bombs being brought in. Despite his efforts, the bomb went off, killing one person and injuring dozens.
After being hailed as a hero, Jewell soon became the FBI's number one suspect. He was eventually cleared, but not before he became the subject of humiliating media ridicule. Lawsuits forced FBI officials to issue public apologies. Jewell died in 2007 at the age of 44 due to health problems.
It's likely that Hill will play Jewell and DiCaprio will play his attorney. No writer or director is attached to the project at this time.
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