Leonardo DiCaprio in Talks to Star in Eastwood’s J. Edgar Hoover Biopic
I’m excited for Clint Eastwood's next film, which is going to be a biopic on the famous head of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover. This is a perfect film for Eastwood to tackle and it’s about one of the most interesting figures in American history.
Now according to Deadline, Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to star in the film, which means if he’s ultimately cast he’ll end up playing Hoover himself. Now apparently the discussions between him, the studio, and the filmmakers have just begun, so who knows if he will ultimately be cast.
Eastwood’s an amazing director who’s got what it takes to get the best performances out of his actors. I’d love to see him work with DiCaprio. This role seems like it would be incredibly challenging, and one thing we know about DiCaprio is he likes to push himself as an actor.
The film was written by Dustin Lance Black (Milk), and production is scheduled to begin later this year. The film is being produced by Imagine’s Brain Grazer and Eastwood’s Malpaso. Eastwood is currently finishing up his next film Hereafter, which star Matt Damon. That film’s currently in post-production.
The biopic was originally brought to Universal Pictures but they turned it down. According to an inside source the studio executives said "This is exactly what we don't want to make. It's period, and we have lost enough money with these things." And the film ended up over at Warner Bros. who were happy to get the film into production.
Here a little historic run down of J. Edgar Hoover:
J. Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (FBI) of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972. Hoover is credited with building the FBI into a large and efficient crime-fighting agency, and with instituting a number of modern innovations to police technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories.
Late in life, and after his death, Hoover became an increasingly controversial figure. His critics have accused him of exceeding the jurisdiction of the FBI. He used the FBI to harass political dissenters and activists, to amass secret files on political leaders, and to collect evidence using illegal methods. It is because of Hoover's long and controversial reign that FBI directors are now limited to 10-year terms.
What are your thoughts on DiCaprio potentially taking on the role of J. Edgar Hoover?