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Martin Scorsese & Leonardo DiCaprio Settle on 'Wolf of Wall Street'

by Ethan Anderton
March 15, 2012

The project has been gestating in the hands of Leonardo DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese since 2007, even though Ridley Scott was flirting with the material in 2010. Now it sounds like The Wolf of Wall Street adaptation will indeed be the fifth time DiCaprio and Scorsese have worked together as Deadline reports the film has secured financing and the duo are planning to shoot the film this August in New York. I guess that means the director's adaptation of Silence and The Snowman, which were both rumored to be his next project following Best Picture nominee Hugo, will have to wait a little bit longer.

Just this past February, there were hints that the project was being revived, but with two other projects cropping up as well, there was no solid confirmation. Based on Jordan Belfort's memoir of the same name, the film follows a Long Island penny stockbroker who served 20 months in prison for refusing to cooperate in a massive 90's securities fraud case that involved widespread corruption on Wall Street and in the banking world, including the mob. Since the book is an autobiography, there's surely a certain amount of embellishment and manipulation as the focus is often on the vast amount of sex, drugs and risky physical taxes Belfort endured while glamorously living off of the scammed money.

Some people might think that Scorsese and DiCaprio work together too often, and while I would like Scorsese to broaden his horizons a bit with a leading man, I've yet to dislike any film they've made together, including The Aviator ("The way of the future."). Plus, Scorsese has made eight films with Robert De Niro so I guess we can't complain too much. And with a script from "Boardwalk Empire" writer Terrence Winter, this is bound to be an Academy Awards acclaimed film when the time comes. After having Scorsese get whimsical with Hugo, it'll be nice to have him get back to adult drama again.

Filed under Casting, Development, Movie News

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