A Different Kind of Cult Classic? Leonardo DiCaprio in Talks to Star in 'Jim Jones', a Film Following the Jonestown Mass Suicide!

Leonardo DiCapprio may be hitting the screen in yet another major way very soon, according to a Deadline exclusive. The Oscar winning star is in final discussions with MGM to star as Jim Jones in a film of the same name, following the story of the Jonestown mass suicide. DiCapprio will likely be both starring in and producing the film for Appian Way, his company, in tandem with Jennifer Davisson.

Jim Jones is one of the most horrifically, significantly notorious cult leaders of all time. In 1955, he founded the Peoples Temple. Jones proclaimed that this Indianapolis institution was to be a beacon of Christina Socialism. As is the way with most cult leaders, this message transitioned by the 1970s from Jones praising God to Jones being God.

He had amassed enough followers through his church that they went along with his logic. By the year 1974, he had built Jonestown. Following the surface intention of the Peoples Temple, this colony was, again, meant to be "a socialist paradise free from U.S. government oppression". Multiple claims of human rights abuse caught the ear of the American government. The representative sent by the government, Leo Ryan, to look into the cult was shot by Jim Jones loyals. After this, Jim Jones, through his manipulative levels of charisma, talked 918 commune members into drinking poisoned Flavor Aid, killing almost a thousand people.

This horrific and almost mystifying act is one that is still discussed today. It makes sense that there would be a desire to tell this powerfully haunting story through film. It will be a challenging story to tell, but DiCaprio is definitely up for that challenge. In a Wired interview back in 2016, he spoke about his work in The Revenant saying, "Every single day of this movie was difficult. It was the most difficult film I've ever done. You'll see, when you see the film-the endurance that we all had to have is very much up on the screen."We are sure he can bring this endurance to this cinematic retelling of the Jonestown mass suicide.

The character Jim Jones also requires a prevelant, manipulative charisma. We know that DiCaprio will have no problem in the charisma department. Look at he and his girlfriend meet Jeff Bezos!

We look forward to hearing more about the production of Jim Jones!