Leonardo DiCarpio is reportedly on track to play British mathematician Alan Turing, the father of computer science, in a biopic titled The Imitation Game, reports Deadline. Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Da Vinci Code) is reportedly in line to direct.
The Imitation Game, adapted from the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma, is reportedly one of the better scripts Hollywood has seen in years. Written by crime novelist Graham Moore, the film tells the life story of the English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, computer scientist, and criminally-prosecuted homosexual.
Turing is credited with cracking the German’s enigma code during World War II, effectively changing the course of the war. The convicted homosexual was sentenced to chemical castration, and eventually committed suicide in 1954 at the age of 41 after eating an apple laced with cyanide.
DiCaprio stars in another biopic, J. Edgar, a film about the founder of the FBI directed by Clint Eastwood, and opening in theaters on November 9.
The actor is currently filming Baz Luhrumann’s remake of The Great Gatsby, costarring Carey Mulligan, and due in theaters next November 2012.