Martin Scorsese to direct "The Wolf of Wall Street" biopic

PanARMENIAN.Net - Martin Scorsese is in talks with Red Granite Pictures to direct "The Wolf of Wall Street," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, with an August start date, Variety reported.

The deal hasn't closed, a Red Granite spokesman said.

Scorsese was originally attached to the Jordan Belfort biopic five years ago when it was set up Warner Bros. a few months after "The Departed" won the Oscar for Best Picture, but the director subsequently fell out. Scorsese then committed again in February 2011 to direct but then began working on "Hugo" and was no longer attached when Red Granite announced last May at Cannes that it had come on board to finance "Wolf" and produce along with DiCaprio's Appian Way and Alexandra Milchan's Emjag Prods.

DiCaprio has long been attached to star as Belfort. Terence Winter wrote the screenplay, which chronicles Belfort's rise and fall on Wall Street, along with his hard-partying lifestyle and tumultuous personal life, which included drug addiction.

Belfort was indicted in 1998 for securities fraud and money laundering and spent 22 months in federal prison.

The film will be produced by Scorsese and his production head Emma Tillinger Koskoff as well as Irwin Winkler, DiCaprio and his Appian Way partner Jennifer Killoran, and Alexandra Milchan, who developed the project before becoming an exec at New Regency.

Scorsese and DiCaprio worked together on "Gangs of New York," "The Aviator," "The Departed" and "Shutter Island."