Leonardo DiCaprio wants to play Russian mystic Rasputin in a possible bio-pic

Here are even more photos of Leonardo DiCaprio at the French Open over the weekend. I think Leo just went from the South of France to Paris after the Cannes Film Festival. And why not? He’s on holiday. And he seems to love tennis. I’m trying to figure out if the lady beside him is Toni Garrn. Toni is definitely in France with him – Leo took Toni to Versailles last week and there were (blurry) photos. So is this Toni beside him? I can’t tell. I know that Lucas Haas is on the other side. Of course.

In a weird turn of events, there’s news about a possible/probably project for Leo. Yes, he’s “taking a break” right now, but he’s also thinking ahead for what his next project will be a year from now or whenever. And that project is… a possible bio-pic of Rasputin?! In case you’re not familiar with Rasputin, his life story is straight-up cray. He was like a real-life wizard/magician and he worked for the last Czar and Czarina of Russia, Nicholas and Alexandra. Yes, I watch the History Channel. Rasputin’s life is fascinating, and it will be interesting to see how this could possibly translate on film:

Warner Bros has acquired Rasputin, a pitch by American Sniper scribe Jason Hall that will be developed for Leonardo DiCaprio to play the Russian mystic who became an advisor to the Russian Imperial family the Romanovs. Embraced by Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra as a healer for their only son, Tsarevich Alexei, who secretly suffered from hemophilia, Rasputin’s influence with the family in all matters grew to the point that rivals tried several times to kill him, finally succeeding in 1916. The film will be produced by Langley Park’s Kevin McCormick, by DiCaprio’s Appian Way partner Jennifer Davisson Killoran and Peter Morgan, who’s a producer on the Hall-scripted adaptation of American Sniper, which Steven Spielberg will direct with Bradley Cooper playing Navy SEAL elite sniper Chris Kyle.

This will become the blind script commitment I wrote that Hall had made at Warner Bros, this coming after that studio and DreamWorks teaming up on American Sniper. The screenwriter is also in early talks to adapt as a possible Spielberg project the David Finkel book Thank You For Your Service, about the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder syndrome that is becoming a major issue for vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

There have been numerous movies made about Rasputin and the controversial role he played in the Russian court, but there were new elements here unearthed by Hall that sparked DiCaprio’s interest and gave psychological depth to the so called “mad monk.” To his enemies, he was a charlatan who prolifically bedded women, possibly including the Tsar’s wife. DiCaprio liked the complicated elements of a child who lost the better part of himself when his brother died, and was capable of kindness but also a ruthlessness. Rasputin, who earlier had survived being stabbed, was shot, strangled, shot again, all in one night, and finally drowned when thrown into the icy Neva River.

[From Deadline]

What’s interesting to me is that there actually is a likeness between Leo and Rasputin – go here to see a photo of Rasputin. He was not an attractive man and he had haunting (and haunted) eyes. I know I should be yelling about this, but I am genuinely fascinated by the idea of Leo playing him. Am I wrong in thinking that Leo might actually be able to pull it off?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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101 Responses to “Leonardo DiCaprio wants to play Russian mystic Rasputin in a possible bio-pic”

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  1. well... says:

    That’s not Toni. But of course Lukas is there. He was there in Versailles and it looked like Leo took Lukas to Versailles not Toni. They looked more together than Leo and Toni…
    Leo with another 20 years old blonde model! Cliche.
    Leo in another biopic. Boring! Seriously this guy is becoming so predictable and boring!

    • Mia 4S says:

      Have we ever figured out the Lukas thing? Is it true he lives with him? The living together thing wouldn’t necessarily mean much (single people companionship) but when you also travel together all the time? Work together? I do wonder….

      • Ditto says:

        It’s because of these absurd runors that he has to play another legendary womanizer. And his PR team has to work round the clock to let us know he is hitting a couple of models per day.
        Let’s be fair. All the men we know still share their place with their BF when they are 37. And always look miserabile when they are seen in VS models’ company. Any man prefers to spend his luxury vacations in the most romantic places in the world with a male friend instead of bringing a leggy young girl.

      • Me Three says:

        I don’t like Leo–actually really detest him–but…the whole, he’s not married and Lucas goes everywhere with him so logically he’s gay aggravates me a bit.

        Frankly, I think Lucas is not only his closest friend, he’s probably his assistant as well. I’m not married, and unlike Leo, I don’t sleep with every guy(in his case VS model) I run into but I know that because I don’t always have someone in my life, people sometimes assume I’m gay, because I have a close circle of girl friends.

        I think Leo has various “issues” but I don’t know that I think he’s gay. I suspect when you reach the fame level that he’s reached that you want to keep people you trust around you and he’s been friends with Lucas since they were teens. JMHO

      • Rock says:

        @ Me three
        Having a friend and an assistant doesn’t mean you have to spend with him your whole time.
        It doesn’t mean that you girlfriend of the time has always to come after him. And when you bring your GF to a nice place, your assistant doesn’t follow you.
        Ditto, you are right, he always looks miserable when he is in female company.
        Looks like he takes this VS routine as a duty to impress his fan base, not as a plesure. Hence the need to let us know his score during Cannes week…
        This situation is beyond weird.
        But of course it’s his business.

      • maverick says:

        Come on People!! .. He is Gay, Gay Gay. But unfortunately He’s so far in the closet he’s got lost in Narnia somewhere.. He is probably even Gayer than my Uncle Betty.. if that’s even possible!! So yeh..

        Also the Rasputin character I think he will do it well. He is a great actor

    • gloaming says:

      Predictable and boring? If playing varied and interesting characters throughout his career means another biopic for Leo. I’ll take it thanks.

      • well... says:

        Yeah, I find his choices in work boring. It was great to see him in Django and probably WOWS is going to be different. But other than that I haven’t noticed the ‘varied and interesting characters’ in the past couple of years. Not at all.

      • Esti says:

        I think Leo’s creepy in his personal life, but I don’t see how anyone could claim he hasn’t played varied and interesting roles over the past few years. In the past three years he’s been Gatsby, a crazy southern slave owner, J. Edgar Hoover, and the guy in Inception. That is… quite a mix of roles. Going back further he had really interesting, REALLY different roles in Revolutionary Road, The Departed, and Blood Diamond.

        Leo is skeezy with the ladies, but he’s always been pretty smart with his career choices.

      • ---- says:

        The characters he plays are very similar with maybe one exception ( Django ). I do find his movies boring, always the same troubled characters. There`s no variety like he had at the beginning of his career. I guess someone REALLY wants an Oscar and it shows…

    • steph says:

      There was talk a couple of years ago that Leo had kicked Lucas out after 7 years of cohabiting. So is he now back in the house?

      I am so very conflicted about these two. Leo used to roll with a large entourage who were all at some point rumored to be his bf (Tobey, Blaine, QTip etc) and all these guys are now generally considered straight. Lucas is probably the sad sack whos career went nowhere and couldnt reinvent in another career. So hes full time job now is companion/ego soother. I feel bad for him. Thats some shadow. I hope his padded his accounts atleast.

      OR Lucas and Leo are a steady couple. The entourage was unaware (Leo fell out with some of those guys. Someone would have attempted a revenge outing). And if this is the case I feel really bad for Lucas. Devoted boyfriend who has to stand behind the fake gf.

      • Relli says:

        I too find the Lukas/Leo dynamic very odd. Lukas has a decent amount of small work over the years and IMDB is littered with all kinds of random information regarding side projects such as being in a band and TV work. But the questions that surround their relationship makes me think about those Christopher Pettiet rumors.

    • Liv says:

      Either he has a very good publicist and is gay or he’s straight and has a unhealthy relationship with his friend.

      I can’t decide what to believe. I get straight vibes off of him, but this thing with Lukas Haas is weird.

      • Rock says:

        Actually he has a very good publicist. He still – successfully – sells Leo’s environmental crap asking people to switch off their lights and drive hybrid cars while he keeps on taking private flights and spending all his vacations on large yacht. And smoking.

      • III says:

        @ Liv He could be Bi.

      • ---- says:

        Pretty good PR team? Lining up interchangeable blonde models is good PR work? By now his love life is beyond predictable and stirs up gay rumors. I wouldn`t call that good PR work.

    • don't kill me i'm french says:

      Leo’s mum was there also

    • don't kill me i'm french says:

      Leo’s mum was there also

      • Rock says:

        His mum is always there. Always. You know, I am Italian but he would be an exception even here.

    • Me Three says:

      So true! Don’t get the Leo love to be honest. And, no I don’t think he’ll do Rasputin well. The guy believes himself to be this generation’s “actor.” He plays Leo over and over again. Everytime I give in and watch one of his movies, I tell myself, never again. He plays the same role again and again.

      And, he’s not even hot! Why is he so popular?

    • Turtle Dove says:

      @ Relli: What are the rumors? I just know that Christopher ODd.

      • Relli says:

        @ turtle

        A couple of years ago I was up late watching Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead when I started doing some searching on the net on Christopher because I was wondering what ever happened to him. I found lots of unconfirmed information about him and his drug use as well as some super sad sites* and entries from people who supposedly knew him. Allegedly he was part of Pre-Pussy posse and Toby & Leo’s play thing which some said messed with him mentally. Hard to know if those rumors are legit but the more lukas is Leo’s man in waiting makes me go hmmmm?!?!

        *these sites were also how I found out Jonathan Brandis is dead… It was a really sad night.

      • Rosa says:

        What does “Luka’s and Leo’s play thing mean”? Sorry but english is not my first language. do you mean they bullied him?

      • Relli says:

        @ Rosa

        Hmmm how do I explain this!??!

        ALLEGEDLY Toby McGuire and Leo used him sexually and created a love triangle between the three. Which is interesting now because the long friendship between Toby and Leo is always brought up without any mention of Christopher who was once being part of that dynamic.

      • Turtle Dove says:

        Thanks Relli. I knew that he was a friend and ODd, but I didn’t know the other rumors.

  2. Rachel says:

    That photo will give you nightmares for a week…

    • boredbrit says:

      I remember studying the Russian Revolution at school and I swear I couldn’t look at the picture of him in my textbook, I used to cover it up with some paper. My classmates/teacher thought it was funny I was so creeped out.

      • Rachel says:

        I’m like that with pictures of John Brown. Their eyes are lit by the fire of their madness, and it makes the pictures just too real. Like they’re watching you.

  3. TG says:

    No way in heck can Leo pull off Rasputin. I won’t pretend to be an expert on Rasputin but I read a book about a decade about Nicholas and Alexandra and the parts about Rasputin are absolutely incedible and if you don’t believe in other powers read this book and you will see that this guy had some kind of incredible mesmerizing power. It has been a long time so my memory is fuzzy but it has stayed with me since. I think they tried to kill him in numerous ways and each time he managed to not die. That book was one of those that completely took over me and I couldn’t put it down and was so depressed while reading it and afterwards. And even though I knew how it would end for the Tsar and his family you keep hoping that they will escape. Please do not let Leo play Rasputin. He would not be good at it. It is early so I can’t think of who would be good but not Leo. Actually, I think Daniel Day Lewis could really do justice to the role and get yet another Oscar out of it. But there are other people who I am not thinking of who could do a good job as well.

    • Shitler says:

      Sounds like a fascinating read.. Could you tell me the name of the book? I’m obsessed with the Russian Revolution & the Romanovs

      • Tig says:

        The excellent “Nicholas and Alexandra” by Robert Massie is a non-fiction book about their rise and fall of their reign, and of course Rasputin is a major contributor to their demise. There was a novel that came out last year about Rasputin’s daughter and an imagined relationship bet her and Alexi, but can’t remember the name. Such a good read

    • bluhare says:

      TG: I couldn’t agree more. I think we read the same book. Leonardo di Caprio as Rasputin is about as believable as Charles Manson as the tooth fairy.

      One thing Rasputin didn’t look like was smug, and smug oozes out of DiCrapio.

    • dj says:

      Leo would be OK as Rasputin. I would prefer Johnny Depp. Depp needs a real movie to possibly earn an Oscar nom for again. I studied Russian History and Rasputin was really fascinating. He sure had the Tsars and the high-borns believing in his shazam! I am excited to see a movie about Rasputin. Of course, Alan Rickman would be fantastic but it might be too “Snapish” for him to consider.

    • lana says:

      no Hollywood actor can pull of Rasputin, in my mind. Leo, Depp?…ridiculuos!!))

  4. lisa says:

    i think it is an interesting choice. after titanic, he could have done romance after romance but he has made some interesting choices.

  5. Mia 4S says:

    Leo in “shouty”/crazy roles is an unnerving prospect. Not really sure I see him pulling this off. Honestly this seems more like a Christian Bale role.

    • Anna-fo-Fanna says:

      Dude. That’s genius!! Christian Bale would be PERFECT for this role!

    • bluhare says:

      I’m with Anna. Great pick, Mia.

    • Irishae says:

      Yep, definitely a project for Christian Bale or DDL as someone mentioned above. BUT, I am a fan of Leo the Actor (less so of Leo the Man Child) and I think he can pull it off.

  6. Liberty says:

    Leo always looks like he is fed Nilla wafers and creme ale all day long, then his pouting tears are dried, then he is swaddled for bed with a ruby pacifier.

    So, I see him as a quite soft pastry sort of Rasputin. Even in Gangs of NY he looked yogurt-fed. Speaking of….get Daniel-Day Lewis in there. He could do it. OR is this a Fassy role? You know the famous factoid/legend: that Rasputin ruled the Czar’s wife because he had 13 inches of mesmerizing mystical power.

  7. fingerbinger says:

    I don’t see Leo as Rasputin. Rasputin, from what I read, had a sexual energy a magnetism that Leo doesn’t have. I liked him as Rimbaud, but not as Rasputin. Alan Rickman played Rasputin and he was great so maybe Leo can pull it off too.

    • paranormalgirl says:

      Alan Rickman has a mesmerizing presence that Leonardo DiCaprio does not have. Rickman was great and believable as Rasputin.

  8. epiphany says:

    Well, that’s kind of what he does to under-25 blond models…hypnotizes them into thinking he’s still that guy from ‘Titanic’…

  9. Olivia J. says:

    Christian Bale would have been perfect casting. Not convinced about Leo.

  10. MonicaQ says:

    Rasputin was…weird. His assassination is probably the most famous thing about him–poisoned past the point that anyone ELSE would’ve died (or perhaps not, Rasputin did not eat sweets and the killers said they fed him cake laced with cynide (The Fall of Eagles by C. Sulzberger)), shot multiple times, clubbed and then thrown into a river which then upon autopsy found out to have *drowned* so he was *still alive after all of that. Crazy.

    Rasputin was crazy and vulgar (he liked to talk about Mini Puti a lot) but smooth and soothing especially to the czarina. I don’t know how Leo is going to pull that off.

    (And here I thought my history degree was only good for substitute teaching LOL)

    • MNGirl says:

      Fellow history majoy here 🙂 I’ve actually seen the autopsy reports from Rasputin’s autopsy and he was incredibly drunk but there was no water in the lungs. He did not drown. Modern medical experts that have reviewed the autopsy believe that one of the gun shots would have killed him inside 20 mins from blood loss. He did, somehow, survive the poisoned booze. Things are fuzzy on whether or not he went “rabid dog” on Yussopov, there’s not real cooberation of it by those involved with Yussopov that night, but the body was bludgeoned badly by Yussopov (who was a rather strange duck himself). In fact, the reports from the various men involved in Rasputin’s death vary significantly. They can’t even agree what color shirt Rasputin wore that night! Whatever the truths and mysteries of his death (of which only drowning can be ruled out by the autopsy report) he was a freaky guy with some kind of other wordly powers! How he was able to heal Alexei is a great mystery…

      As for a biopic on Rasputin, Alan Rickman did one in the 90s and did a fanatastic job with the part. Though he did not pull off the creepy eyes LOL. Nobody could, including Leo. Those eyes are frightening!

  11. mia girl says:

    Leo as Rasputin – not seeing it
    Leo as Rashputin – definitely

  12. The Original G says:

    I think he might pull it off. The problem for me is whether they can pull of a project that has relevance to a modern audience? Otherwise it’s just an actor’s vanity project.

    BTW, what’s with the hats?

  13. chaine says:

    I don’t think he resembles Rasputin at all. Comparing the pix, Lukas looks much more like him. I would be interested to see Lukas play Rasputin. Leo, not so much.

  14. Emma - the JP Lover says:

    Sorry Leo, but it’s been done.

    Alan Rickman played Grigori Rasputin in “Rasputin” (1996). He won the Best Actor (in a Mini Series or Motion Picture made for TV) Golden Globe for his remarkable performance.

    I really don’t see how Leo could improve upon Alan Rickman’s stellar turn as Rasputin.

  15. Thiajoka says:

    He is systematically ruining every damned historical-bio movie I want to see.

  16. d says:

    OOOh, Daniel Day Lewis as Rasputin? Yes. Leo? Nyet. He’s got pretend charisma. Rasputin imo was like a cult leader with incredible charisma and magnetism that preyed on the czarina who was desperate to believe anything, esp anything that would guarantee the health of her child (if I’m recalling correctly).
    Alan Rickman did play Rasputin in some movie a long time ago. I think it wasn’t that great of a movie, but Rickman, as always, was entertaining.

    • Emma - the JP Lover says:

      Was 1996 wasn’t really that long ago?

      • DesertPoppy says:

        1996 was 17 years ago. I still have the same problem of thinking the 90s wasn’t that long ago and have to keep reminding myself it was over a decade ago.

  17. Pastyousayyouneverknew says:

    Yikes, this is one of those roles where he could be really good or really bad – I really don’t see a midway for this one. It’ll be interesting to see how he pulls it off.

  18. CC says:

    Well, Leo would fit the bill when it comes to weight. Rasputin was said to be fat, colossal, that’s the theory why the poison failed to work.

  19. Mimi says:

    I’am going out on a limb here to say I think they should get an ACTUAL RUSSIAN to play this role. Danila Kozlovsky is my pick. Youtube him…

    • another nina says:

      Kozlovsky? Meh. I mean Nyet. He does not even look Russian, and he has a doll face.

      Russian Rasputin is Alexei Petrenko. Youtube him.

  20. Maddie says:

    I think he is a great actor but whenever I see a picture of him I think of Stewie from Family Guy.

  21. don't kill me i'm french says:

    it will be a mix between Howard Hugues and his character from DJANGO

  22. Shitler says:

    Dude’s so desperate for an Oscar even I can taste it

  23. elle224 says:

    No way; i just cant see leo playing this role well at all. Alan Rickman was incredible as Rasputin in the mini-series

  24. dee says:

    That looks like Emmanuelle Chriqui… No???

  25. Raquel says:

    DiCaprio’s a talented actor, but he needs to get a grip on what roles he has the physical presence/face for. I felt that he was horribly miscast as Gatsby–not because he couldn’t *act* the part, but because he didn’t *look* like Gatsby.

    Does he honestly think he and his babyface could pull off a gaunt, 6 foot 4, darkly manipulative Russian monk who was like a vampire for the Russian nobility to finally kill? Me, neither.

    I get that he wants an Oscar role, but it isn’t like he can’t find a role that he wouldn’t be terribly miscast for.

  26. Betsy says:

    Cant help but think this role is a step down from the Alan Turing bio pic that Cumberbatch is doing.

    The Stewie from Family Guy comment will always stick on my mind now when I see Leo. That exactly who he looks like.

  27. bullpin says:

    Two words: Adrien Brody.

    • bluhare says:

      Another good pick.

    • F5 says:

      Brody, superb actor, but insufferable on the set.. that’s why you don’t see more of him.. shame. Same with Edward Norton.

    • Irishae says:

      Yes, but we all know the joke right? If you don’t want people to see your movie, cast Adrien Brody ;). I forget where that came from, but I still find it hilarious.

  28. Virgilia Coriolanus says:

    I don’t know if he’ll be able to pull off the charisma to play as a man who had the Czarina dancing to his tune, but who knows? I didn’t think that he would be able to do Calvin Candie, and he did it well.

    He needs to start taking care of himself. he’s too old to be drinking that much, and he looks ten time’s better when he’s eating healthy and off the booze. But I also think his accent work is atrocious, at least when he did Blood Diamond. Did they really talk like that?

    • Miss South Africa says:

      Lol white people from South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe do speak like that. Leo did the accent perfectly few American actors get it right

      • Thora says:

        Yep. He was brilliant in that.

      • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

        Okay, thanks.

        I guess it’s just too strong/too different an accent for me to handle. I wouldn’t know that it was a real accent unless I met someone in real life who talked like that.

        I think he wouldn’t do the role unless he felt he could do it, and the only bad movie he’s ever been in was the Man in the Iron Mask…so we’ll see.

  29. Snazzy says:

    The man’s a manwhore but an amazing actor ! He’ll kill it!!

  30. garavo says:

    isn’t that the actress from Entourage, what’s her name ? Emmanuelle Chriqui ?

    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004825/

    • Dee says:

      That’s exactly what I wrote above! Glad someone else noticed. She’s totally incognito…. Hmmm intresting

  31. Sara says:

    Not that it matters, but I am really thinking these two guys may be a couple.

  32. Thora says:

    Leo is a great actor. Of course he can pull it off.

  33. xoxokaligrl says:

    I found the lucas haas speculations interesting… I never thought of that before… very interesting..

    However, I do not get the connection with Rasputin at all… Nor do I think he would make it very convincing..

  34. Flower says:

    I’m not really that fond of Leo as a person but as an actor he can be brilliant, on the other hand he just isn’t tall enough for this role, Rasputins physical presence was a huge part of his charisma, no matter how good he is Leo can’t pull of a 6ft 4″ skeleton with a death’ head face.

    I hope the writer has looked at the book ‘Lost Splendor’ by Prince Felix Yousepov , one of Rasputin’s assassins. His first hand account of Rasputin’s murder is fascinating and beyond creepy, the man just refused to die.

    You can read Felix’s entire book at no cost on line, click to the last chapter for the death scene.

    http://www.alexanderpalace.org/lostsplendor/intro.html

  35. xxx says:

    Ugh, no! Please noooooo. Who would be good in this role? Willem Dafoe is the first person that comes to mind… Hugo Weaving, maybe even Christian Bale? Leo is all wrong though. For a start, he is terrible at accents and he is a round face with a cute button nose. Rasputin was all hawkish nose and piercing eyes. Anyone who plays him has to have that piercing gaze down and will also have to exude a fair amount of charisma. I’m thinking a character actor would be a better choice.

  36. Mary L says:

    No, please. There is already a decent movie about Rasputin with Gerard Depardieu, made recently (just 2 years ago). We don’t need more of that. As for the physical likeness – I see more Lenin in Leo than Rasputin.

  37. Magneticfieldz says:

    Sorry. I don’t see it. And I highly doubt Leo could ever top Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Rasputin.

  38. Carolyn says:

    “Ra Ra Rasputin, Russia’s greatest love machine” (Boney M). This is the only thing Leo knows about Rasputin.

    He surely can’t be serious.

  39. Delin Colón says:

    Rasputin was not the madman portrayed in books and film. He was a healer, a champion of the underdog and downtrodden, and he was anti-war. He was especially horrified at the ethnic cleansing (pogroms) conducted by the military. It was a time when anti-Semitism was government policy, as evidenced by the laws restricting Jews to live in a certain area (The Pale of Settlement) and barring them from educations and many occupations. The worst were the raids wherein entire towns of Jews were tortured and slaughtered.

    To be against war (during WW I) and to advocate equal rights for Jews (who were all considered spies and thieves) were stances that were considered treasonous by society. Even worse, Rasputin had many progressive ideas for economic and social reform that threatened the nobility but which could have avoided the revolution.

    Read “RASPUTIN: THE MEMOIRS OF HIS SECRETARY” by Aron Simanovitch, recently translated into English and annotated for historical accuracy. Rasputin was a wild guy, but not the monster the aristocracy tried to depict him as. The demonic myth is based on the rumors the nobles spread to discredit him.

    • lana says:

      well, obviously in Hollywood no one cares about truth or history – they will come up with smth cheesy and lame and easy to swallow as usual)

  40. vvvoid says:

    Nyet.
    I love Leo as an actor but part of Rasputin’s presence was that gaunt, haunting, chiseled visage he had. Leo is baby faced and innocent looking, I see no likeness. Giselle would be a better pick.