Here’s proof that sometimes projectsdocome out of development hell. The long-in-the-worksTeddy Rooseveltmovie thatLeonardo DiCaprioandMartin Scorsesehave been developing and discussing for at least a decade may actually be happening. Per Deadline, Paramount has put togetherRooseveltwith DiCaprio starring as the U.S. President and Scorsese directing.Scott Bloomhas been set to write the screenplay, and DiCaprio andJennifer Davissonare producing through their Appian Way banner along with Scorsese,Emma Koskoff, andChuck Pacheco.
It’s unclear what the source material will be and which period of Roosevelt’s life the film would focus on, but back in 2006 the idea was to adaptEdmund Morris’The Rise of Theodore Rooseveltand cover his fascinating early years. This has long been a passion project for DiCaprio, and there’s plenty of ways to tackle the life of Roosevelt so it should be interesting to see how this shapes up.
But this movie is far from a done deal. Scorsese is currently in the midst of production onThe Irishmanfor Netflix, which will take up his time for at least the next year, if not longer. And DiCaprio has a habit of developing potential starring projects at various studios, but he’s notoriously picky and doesn’t pull the trigger unless it’s something he’s really passionate about. There’s also the possibility that DiCaprio and Scorsese team up on a different project next,Killers of the Flower MoonorDevil in the White City, both of which are in active development.
What you can bank on thisnotaffecting is that Joker origin movie that Warner Bros. is developing as a non-DCEU one-off. Reports swirled that DiCapriowas the studio’s top choiceto take on the role for directorTodd Phillips, and Scorsese is reportedly in negotiations to produce that pic. But DiCaprio has shied away from blockbusters of that sort and it’s not even clear if Scorsese will end up actually producing that project, let alone if that movie will happen. So that movie’s a non-issue.
What is clear is that DiCaprio and Scorsese are eager to work together again for a sixth time, and they have a number of exciting projects to choose from. It’s possibleRooseveltnow has the edge given that DiCaprio’s wanted to make it for so long, and that the two just worked with Paramount onThe Wolf of Wall Streetto great success. I’m down for any one of these, as long as this dynamic duo is still together. Stay tuned.
