Deadline is reporting that Warner Bros. have just acquired the film rights to Dennis Lehane’s upcoming novel Live By Night. Furthermore, the studio has attached Leonardo DiCaprio to star in and produce the film.
DiCaprio will produce through his production company Appian Way and in the film (which takes place during Prohibition) he’ll be taking on the role of an Irish cop named Danny Coughlin.
For those unfamiliar with Dennis Lehane, his novels have been turned into acclaimed films on numerous occasions. Some of his credits include Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island. That’s an impressive track record and I think it’s safe to assume that Live By Night will be comparable to the author’s previous works. Plus, if DiCaprio is attached you know it must be good.
No word yet on a writer or director or when the film will gear up for production. The novel doesn’t come out until October and DiCaprio is currently filming Quentin Tarantino‘s Django Unchained and will begin filming Martin Scorsese‘s The Wolf Of Wall Street in August. It may be a while before Live By Night gets underway but we’ll keep you posted when we hear more.
