Leonardo DiCaprio keen to play President Theodore Roosevelt in big screen biopic



He's played an aviator, the head of the FBI, a New York stock broker and now, Leonardo DiCaprio is set to play a president.



The 39-year-old actor is reported to want to bring President Theodore Roosevelt to life on the big screen.

'Leo is telling friends that after his latest movie proved to be a massive box office hit, he’s pushing forward with his biopic of Roosevelt which will re-team him with The Wolf of Wall Street director Martin Scorsese,' a source revealed to RadarOnline on Saturday.

Back in the saddle! Leonardo DiCaprio, pictured here at the Oscars Nominees Luncheon on Feb. 10, will star as Theodore Roosevelt in biopic of the President

Scorcese and DiCaprio, who previously teamed up on The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street, had originally planned to do the movie years ago but the project fell through.

'He says it’s "now or never" as he’s patiently waited almost a decade for the money to materialize,' the insider told the website.



The flick is based on Edmund Morris' Pulitzer prize winning biography The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and the movie will follow the famous figure from childhood to the presidency.

Rough Rider: Theodore Roosevelt, pictured her at a meeting in New York State, became the 26th president of the United States after President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901 The Titanic star is also rumoured to play President Woodrow Wilson in a movie based on A. Scott Berg's new biography, a source told E! News. Leo is also set to produce the film, titled Wilson, via his Appian Way production company.

The longtime leading man recently admitted to Variety that he had to make some difficult decisions when he was 18, turning down a hefty sum of money for a role in Disney's Hocus Pocus to star in the 1993 indie flick What's Eating Gilbert Grape. 'I don’t know where the hell I got the nerve,' The Great Gatsby star told Variety. 'You live in an environment where you're influenced by people telling you to make a lot of money and strike while the iron's hot. But if there's one thing I'm very proud of, it's being a young man who was sticking to my guns.'

History repeating: The actor, pictured her in 2011's J. Edgar, has played a number of historical figures, including J. Edgar Hoover and Howard Hughes

His decision paid off when he was nominated for his first Oscar for his turn as mentally handicapped Arnie Grape. The Hollywood heavyweight is up for a 2014 Academy Award for his portrayal of Jordan Belfort in the Wolf of Wall Street. 'Congrats to my fellow nominees, @JonahHill, Marty, Terry Winter and #WolfofWallStreet family for the #Oscar noms,' the actor tweeted in January after the nominations were announced. But according to Radar, the actor really wants to land the industry's top award for the Teddy Roosevelt biopic and will do 'whatever it takes.'

Already won: The What's Eating Gilbert Grape star, pictured here with Wolf of Wall Street costar Margot Robbie, won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Jordan Belfort in the flick



