Leonardo DiCaprio to Star in, Produce Adaptation 'The Black Hand'

By Justin Kroll, Variety

Leonardo DiCaprio will star in and produce an adaptation of Stephan Talty’s book The Black Hand for Paramount Pictures.

DiCaprio will play Joe Petrosino, a NYPD cop who goes after the ruthless gang (with the calling card black hand) that migrated from Italy to America. The thugs kidnapped people and then extorted money from their families. They were loathed by law-abiding Italian families who were frightened, but nevertheless helped Petrosino behind the scenes.

Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Jeremy Bell of The Gotham Group will produce. DiCaprio’s producing partner, Jennifer Davisson, will also produce with Gotham, as well as Nathaniel Posey on behalf of his Appian Way Productions.

Talty is the New York Times bestselling author of six nonfiction books focused on history and individual achievement. As a ghostwriter, Talty’s work includes A Captain’s Duty, which was the basis for the 2013 Oscar-nominated Tom Hanks-starrer Captain Phillips.

DiCaprio recently starred in Before the Flood, the 2016 documentary about climate change directed by Fisher Stevens.

Paramount has been busy acquiring material for DiCaprio following his new first-look deal, which he signed in 2015. Appain Way is developing a reboot of the Captain Planet series with Glen Powell, among its many projects.

Watch an exclusive clip from ‘Before the Flood’: