No, Leonardo DiCaprio Isn't Playing Poet Rumi in a Biopic

While known for playing iconic characters ranging from Howard Hughes in The Aviator to Hugh Glass in The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio won't be playing Persian poet Rumi any time soon.

Screenwriter David Franzoni (Gladiator) and producer Stephen Joel Brown, who are working on a film about the 13th Century poet, said in an interview that DiCaprio was their top choice to play Rumi (they also mentioned they'd like Robert Downey Jr. should play Rumi's spiritual mentor Shams Tabrizi).

It's safe to say that DiCaprio, who just won his first Oscar for his work in The Revenant, is often at the top of many filmmakers' wish lists. But the comments by the producers of the Rumi film (which has been picked up by several other news outlets) were just their own dream castings, and sources say no one from the film has reached out to DiCaprio about the indie film. Franzoni and Brown say they hope to shoot next year.

"He hasn't been asked, but regardless he will not be pursuing the project," sources close to DiCaprio tell The Hollywood Reporter.

DiCaprio has not revealed what he'll next star in as an actor, but he's attached as a producer via his Appian Way banner to a slew of projects, including Ben Affleck's next directorial work Live by Night and horror-thriller Delirium.