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Body of Lies articles April 8 2007
DiCaprio to star in 'Body of Lies' Leonardo DiCaprio is in early talks to star in Warner Bros.' adaptation of the new David Ignatius novel, "Body of Lies." Ridley Scott will direct the project, which reunites DiCaprio with screenwriter William Monahan, Oscar-winning writer of "The Departed." Donald De Line and Scott are producing the co-production of Scott Free Prods. and De Line Pictures. Scott Free's Michael Costigan is exec producer. DiCaprio's deal has to be negotiated, but he already has worked the picture into his busy schedule. He'll make it this fall after first reteaming with "Titanic" co-star Kate Winslet on "Revolutionary Road," the Sam Mendes-directed DreamWorks drama that shoots in April. Scott already is scouting venues in Morocco for a film that will shoot in Washington, D.C., Europe and the Middle East. DiCaprio will play an ex-journalist-turned CIA agent who's sent to Amman to work with Jordan's intelligence chief to track an Al Qaeda leader rumored to be planning attacks against America.Monahan and Scott aligned to the project last year (Daily Variety, March 13, 2006), when Warner bought the novel, then titled "Penetration," by Washington Post columnist Ignatius. Middle East-set project is the third that Monahan has scripted for Scott, after "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Tripoli," the latter of which hasn't yet been made. ***************
April 9 2007 by Natalie Finn Leonardo DiCaprio is heading behind the scenes while still maintaining a firm presence in front of the camera. The three-time Oscar nominee is in talks to star in the post-9-11 spy thriller Body of Lies, playing a journalist-turned-CIA-agent who travels to Jordan to track an Al Qaeda leader said to be planning an attack on U.S. soil. Ridley Scott, coming off A Good Year, which was only so-so, is set to direct the film for Warner Bros., while this year's Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar winner for The Departed, William Monahan, will pen the script. This will be the third time Monahan has gone to bat for Scott, having provided the screenplays for 2005's Kingdom of Heaven and the yet-to-be-made Barbary Coast battle epic Tripoli. Variety reports that Scott is already scouting possible Moroccan locales for Body of Lies, based on the novel by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, which will also take place in Washington, D.C., Europe and the Middle East. Presuming DiCaprio seals the deal, he will report for CIA duty after finishing up the drama Revolutionary Road, costarring Kate Winslet and directed by Sam Mendes, an Oscar winner for American Beauty and a winner at the game of life for marrying Winslet. DiCaprio and Winslet, who once promised to never let go, reunite as a 1950s-era married couple with two children who hide their problems under the guise of a perfect life in suburban Connecticut. DiCaprio, who's currently gracing the cover of Vanity Fair's second annual Green Issue, is also attached to star in the big-screen adaptation of Malcolm Gladwell's nonfiction bestseller Blink, a series of stories about making snap decisions and knowing when to trust one's first impressions. Scott is currently putting the finishing touches on American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington as a powerful Harlem drug lord and Russell Crowe as the detective who wants to take him down. A true story based on a 2001 New York magazine article by Mark Jacobson, American Gangster almost didn't see the light of day. Both Oliver Stone and Training Day helmsman Antoine Fuqua were attached to the project at one point, and actors ranging from Benicio Del Toro, Don Cheadle and Laurence Fishburne to John C. Reilly, Ray Liotta and Eric Bana were considered for leading roles. Universal Pictures then shelved the film in 2004, only to revive it the following year and reject Terry George's (Hotel Rwanda) screenplay. Steve Zaillian (Schindler's List), who had penned the very first adaptation of Jacobson's article, was re-tapped to work on his own first draft. Scott, intrigued by Zaillian's take on the story, signed on in 2005.
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April 9 2007 by Alex Billington Some Monday morning casting news for you to drudge over after Easter weekend. The novel Body of Lies, written by David Ignatius, is being adapted by Warner Brothers with Ridley Scott (Gladiator, A Good Year) as the director. The other good news is that they've brought on screenwriter William Monahan, who won an Oscar for his work on The Departed, and also as mentioned, Leonardo DiCaprio will star in the film, too. Personally, I'm not using the term “reuniting" because I highly doubt Monahan and DiCaprio had much interaction together during The Departed, but at least he'll be reading from another great script Monahan's written. The book is about an ex-journalist-turned CIA agent, played by DiCaprio, who's sent to Amman to work with Jordan's intelligence chief to track an Al Qaeda leader rumored to be planning attacks against America. Scott already is scouting venues for shooting with production planned to start in the fall. I'm not sure whether the increasing trend of Middle East or Iraq “action" films is going to turn out anything good, but hopefully Ridley Scott can pull something enjoyable out of it that isn't just one big political message.
*************** August 15 2007 Leonardo DiCaprio And Russell Crowe Will Be A Good 'Fit' In CIA Flick, Ridley Scott Hopes Director plans to start shooting yet-untitled flick in Morocco soon. By Larry Carroll, with additional reporting by Shawn Adler and Jeff Cornell. Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the hottest stars on the planet. Russell Crowe is arguably one of the most talented actors of his generation. Ridley Scott is the legendary mastermind behind such films as "Blade Runner" and "Gladiator." And "Body of Lies" is an intense CIA novel adapted by William Monahan, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind "The Departed." If you aren't intrigued at this point, perhaps we could recommend DailyKitten.com as a more appropriate choice for your Web-surfing pleasure. MTV News recently caught up with DiCaprio and Scott for separate interviews, and we eagerly prodded them for details on their "Body" adaptation, which begins filming next month. Sure enough, what they had to say makes the flick already sound like a 2008 Oscar heavyweight. "I'm going to go work with Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe in Morocco on an untitled film," DiCaprio revealed. "I start with Russell and Leonardo in five weeks," Scott said. "It's based on [Washington Post columnist] David Ignatius' book, which originally was called 'Penetration,' and then it was called 'Body of Lies.' So we're still wrestling with the title. There's another interesting, [possible] title called 'Chatter.' "So send in which one you like," he joked, suggesting an online poll. "[It's between] 'Chatter,' 'Penetration' or 'Body of Lies.' It's not about sex; it's about politics in the Middle East, and it's really good." (Watch Ridley Scott promise that his new flick isn't about sex — it's about politics.) Ignatius' novel is a post-9/11 spy tale of an idealistic CIA agent stationed in Jordan after being wounded in Iraq. Using an old British plan that helped take down the Nazis, the agent turns the terrorists against each other by planting suspicion — but when people begin to uncover his efforts, he finds himself as a target. "It's a throwback to the political films that I enjoyed in the '70s," DiCaprio said of why he decided to take part in the project. "Certainly [it's reminiscent] of films like 'The Parallax View' and 'Three Days of the Condor,' and I'd love to be a part of more films like that." "If I tell you about the plot, it sounds usual, suspect," Scott teased, insisting that there's a lot more to Monahan's script than any one-sentence pitch could capture ("Schindler's List" screenwriter Steven Zaillian is currently giving the script a final polish). "But take my word for it; it's a great book ... it takes place in Dubai, Washington and Morocco. I'm going back to Morocco for the fourth time." "I love when it's a good-enough story and it has a great narrative in it, and it's gonna be a good film first and foremost — I'm a huge advocate for making those types of movies," DiCaprio said. Then, comparing that aspect of the flick to another Oscar-nominated drama he released last year, he added: "That's why 'Blood Diamond' was huge on my radar, why I jumped at that opportunity — and certainly this film with Ridley." Going head-to-head with DiCaprio, Russell Crowe has signed on to play a right-wing suit in the CIA who clashes with the young agent. "You'll see something different," Scott promised, referring to Crowe's knack for transforming himself. "We're still circling and deciding. I'll leave a lot to him and say, 'What do you want to do? Do you want to go thin? Glamorous? Fat? [Do you want to] eat too much or eat very little?' "We have that kind of conversation," Scott said of the star, who has previously been his leading man in "Gladiator," "A Good Year" and November's "American Gangster." "You give the audience a long list that's absolutely definitive as to who this character must be but, for the most part, that's bullsh--. What I think makes [Crowe] most engaging is that he can fit into anything. It's the same with Leo." And as DiCaprio has become more concerned with world affairs, his choices of films like "Diamond" and the global-warming documentary "The 11th Hour" have allowed the young star to speak his mind — a trend he hopes to continue by using the untitled CIA flick to explore thorny Iraq war issues close to his heart. "This is the way that people are educated about issues nowadays. This is the main avenue for learning in today's world," he said of the movies. "I would just hope that enough people go to see them, so the studios will be encouraged to make more films like that in the future and that there is an audience for them and they are profitable." Scott adds that the combination of the source material and his two stars will make him pretty confident when he strolls onto the set in a few short weeks. "I never say it's a home run," the director grinned. "But I'm keeping my fingers crossed." Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, reviews, interviews and more.
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