Barry Jenkins, who won an Oscar for writingMoonlight, has been tapped to write a feature adaptation of the 2014 documentaryVirungathat will be produced byLeonardo DiCaprioand released once again on Netflix.
DiCaprio executive produced the documentary from writer-directorOrlando von Einsiedel, whose film earned an Oscar nomination for its depiction of the rangers who regularly risk their lives to save Africa’s most beloved national park and its endangered gorillas.
DiCaprio will produce via his Appian Way banner along withJennifer DavissonandPhillip Watson, as well as Oscar winnerJoann Natasegaraof Violent Films. Von Einsiedel will serve as an executive producer on the feature version, according toDeadline’s scoop.
Jenkins has been incredibly busy sinceMoonlightwon Best Picture, and he earned a second Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for writingIf Beale Street Could Talk, based on the celebrated book byJames Baldwin. He wroteRachel Morrison’s upcoming directorial debutFlint StrongstarringRyan DestinyandIce Cube, and his Amazon seriesThe Underground Railroad, based on the bestselling novel byColson Whitehead, is shaping up to be one of the TV events of the year… whenever it debuts.
Jenkins is also attached todirect a biopicof influential choreographerAlvin Aileyfor Searchlight Pictures. Clearly, the man has a lot on his plate, and deservedly so. I think Jenkins and DiCaprio both have really good taste and gravitate to classy material, and this partnership sounds really promising on paper. Perhaps it will lead to Jenkins directing DiCaprio down the line, though I suppose nothing has been ruled out regardingVirungaitself at this stage. I don’t expect Jenkins to direct or DiCaprio to play an onscreen role here, because if that was the plan, it would’ve been announced in Deadline’s story, but hey, the possibility still exists too, right?
Speaking of tantalizing possibilities, Jenkins has also said that he’d love to make a James Bond spinoff about Moneypenny starringNaomie Harris, and to read more about that splendid idea,click here.
