Leonardo DiCaprio will star in The Revenant for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Leonardo DiCaprio will be returning to the 19th Century, a period that been the setting for films like GANGS OF NEW YORK and DJANGO UNCHAINED. Once again, DiCaprio will be working with a talented director known for his unique style. This time it is BABEL and BIRDMAN director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and the project is the long in development THE REVENANT.

Before you get too excited that it will be a zombie movie, THE REVENANT is based on a novel by Michael Punke that sounds more along the lines of something Quentin Tarantino or even Martin Scorsese would helm.

Inarritu’s next film will star DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, a 19th century fur trapper who gets mauled by a grizzly bear, and then is left for dead by cohorts who rob him. When he survives, he is as pissed as a bee-stung bear and sets out on a treacherous journey to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.

Sean Penn was rumored as a potential villain but he is no longer involved with THE REVENANT. Inarritu’s films all have a lyrical quality to them but also a gritty undercurrent. DiCaprio always brings his A-game and he should be in top form for this project. Ever since DJANGO UNCHAINED, I have been hoping to see DiCaprio take on a western role and this could end up being a winner.