Leonardo DiCaprio to play Leonardo da Vinci in new movie

Leonardo Di Caprio has landed the role to play his namesake Leonardo da Vinci in an upcoming movie about the famous artist and man of science.

According to Variety, Paramount Pictures had won the rights to make the film after a competitive seven-figure bidding battle with Universal Studios.

DiCaprio will also produce the film under his Appian Way banner alongside president of production Jennifer Davisson.

ICM Partners brokered the deal for Isaacson and his book, “Leonardo da Vinci,” in advance of its release. Universal attempted to outbid Paramount on Friday with bidding continuing into Saturday morning.

Di Caprio’s desire to portray Da Vinci on film is no coincidence. The actor’s mother claims to have chosen the artist as her son’s namesake while examining a Da Vinci piece at a museum in Florence, Italy back in 1974.

Known as the painter of “The Last Supper” and the “Mona Lisa”, da Vinci is also famous for his inventions and scientific works, including his drawing of the Vitruvian Man which represents the ideal human proportions.

Da Vinci’s writings strongly connect his art with his science and other imaginings. Isaacson’s biography was based off these written accounts, as well as other discoveries that researchers have uncovered about da Vinci’s life over the years.

Isaacson is a New York Times Best Selling author who has written biographies on other notable thinkers such as Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, Steve Jobs, and Benjamin Franklin.

Most recently, his 2007 book “Einstein: His Life and Universe” was adapted into National Geographic’s “Genius,” starring Geoffrey Rush as Einstein.

Isaacson wrote about interesting details concerning Da Vinci’s life. It would be interesting to see how Academy Award winner Di Caprio will portray his famous namesake.