The tragic assassination of JFK has been the topic of hundreds of conspiracy theories, filling up countless books, documentaries and movies. Hell, if you have seen Oliver Stone's classic JFK - he puts all crackpot and half-baked beliefs into one compelling and masterfully told but completely insane movie! So what new evidence has attracted Leonardo DiCaprio to Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann's 848 page book Legacy of Secrecy: The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination, which he has struck a deal to star and produce at Warner Bros? (the same studio behind JFK by the way). Well - the book claims the mafia were behind the assassination. That's the new angle. And this won't be a typical JFK film, instead it's a real life version of The Departed... DiCaprio is interested in the true story of FBI informant Jack Van Laningham, who went dangerously undercover in a long-time secret investigation against Louisiana and Texas Mafia Godfather Carlos Marcello, who held a grudge against JFK over his deportation from the States. Van Laningham whilst undercover as his cellmate in 1985 (Marcello was jailed for attacking an female FBI agent) managed to hear Marcello admit that he was the man behind JFK's murder, which for years was top-secret info in uncensored FBI files at the National Archives;
"YEAH, I HAD the son of a b---- killed. I'm glad I did. I'm sorry I couldn't have done it myself!"
The files show that only weeks after JFK's murder in 1963 - the FBI questioned 14 of Marcello's mob associates, but not even Marcello's name would appear in the Warren Commission, the 'fairytale' account of what happened that day. A compelling new angle right, although very, very, very similar to DiCaprio's William Costigan role a few years back, so you have to wonder why he would want to cover the same ground again? Especially when an updated press release goes out saying "an acclaimed director who has previously worked with Leonardo has expressed interest in directing the film". Presumably that would be his frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese who directed said movie and has worked with DiCaprio on four movies. DiCaprio is currently preparing to shoot the J.Edgar Hoover biopic with Clint Eastwood that is a go-er for January, which will probably be followed by Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby with Carey Mulligan in the summer. Post-that, it could really be anything next. He recently bought the rights to the serial killer novel The Devil In The White City which at least shows where his mindset is at right now, but it looks like Warner Bros. are pushing this for 2013, which will mean this would have to shoot within the next 18 months, so this JFK film could well be his film after that.