It took a lot longer than it should have but Leonardo DiCaprio has his Oscar for Best Actor. So what's he going to do to follow up his performance in The Revenant? So far we don't know anything for sure and he's certainly not part of the awards race this year. But what we do know is that one of his upcoming roles will be as Sam Phillips, legendary rock music producer, in a brand new biopic.
Paramount has snapped up the rights to Peter Guralnick's book "Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘N’ Roll", which DiCaprio will produce as a starring vehicle. Phillips and his little Memphis-based Sun Studios were basically kingmakers throughout the 1940s and '50s, discovering talents such as Elvis Presley, Ike Turner, Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash. Phillips was part of the inaugural group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
No writer or director are attached at this point, but the film boasts a powerhouse lineup of producers including Mick Jagger, who helped develop HBO's failed Vinyl TV series. Here's hoping this turns out better than that did. [Deadline]
