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Wednesday
07Jan2009

DiCaprio to Produce, Star in 'Beat the Reaper'

DateWednesday, January 7, 2009 at 11:58PM
Overall, I think you'd have to rate the past two years as below average for Leonardo DiCaprio. It's still better and more lucrative than almost any other actor alive, but for him, it's not exactly the salad days. Don't get me wrong; I think the movies are mostly still of a very high quality, but his star power hasn't been unquestionable.

Though he received an Oscar nomination for Blood Diamond, the film was not as commercially viable as it should have been, even in spite the serious undertones. His documentary, The 11th Hour, was both poorly executed and received. Body of Lies was flat, and Revolutionary Road won't get him that elusive Oscar. Yeah, outside of The Departed, it's been four years since Leo has been in synch with his audience. And The Departed was definitely a group effort.

He's been working behind the scenes as a producer lately, and he obviously has a good eye for scripts; outside of my own aversion to Revolutionary Road, he hasn't taken a bad drama since The Beach, so I expect him to do well picking projects for his Appian Way production company.

Variety reports that Leo has picked up another project to produce, an adaptation of the Josh Bazell novel Beat the Reaper but he'll star in it as well. And really, who doesn't love to beat the reaper now and again?

It's believed Leo would play a Manhattan emergency room doctor, who used to be a hitman and went into the witness relocation program. Everything's both hunky and dory until a mobster recognizes him.

Just a thought, but wouldn't your odds of being recognized increase in America's largest city? What's wrong with being a horse doctor in Wyoming?

The novel is apparently very good, at least if its seven-figure publishing deal is any indication. There's no immediate word on when the film will go into production or will be released, but with Leo's schedule - one that should make us forget the few recent outings audiences haven't been jazzed about - this one's a while away.

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AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment1 Comment |

Reader Comments (1)

I really enjoyed Blood Diamond.
Body of Lies was fun, only because it was set in DC.
I didn't see the 11th Hour and have no desire to watch Revolutionary Road.

Thursday, January 8, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterlara Petersen

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