Leonardo DiCaprio and Barry Jenkins Team To Develop a Mountain Gorilla Movie Titled VIRUNGA
Leonardo DiCaprio and Barry Jenkins have teamed up with Netflix to develop a feature film adaptation of the Oscar-nominated documentary Virunga, which is about the battle to save the Congo’s endangered mountain gorillas.
DiCaprio will produce the film and Jenkins, who won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Moonlight, will write the script.
The story focuses on the “fight to protect the world’s last mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Von Einsiedel spotlighted the biodiversity of Virunga, along with the political and economic issues arising from oil exploration and armed conflict in the region.”
Netflix bought the rights to the documentary in 2014. Here’s the synopsis for the documentary:
VIRUNGA IS THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF A GROUP OF BRAVE PEOPLE RISKING THEIR LIVES TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE IN A PART OF AFRICA THE WORLD'S FORGOTTEN AND A GRIPPING EXPOSE OF THE REALITIES OF LIFE IN THE CONGO.
In the forested depths of eastern Congo lies Virunga National Park, one of the most bio-diverse places on Earth and home to the planet’s last remaining mountain gorillas. In this wild, but enchanted environment, a small and embattled team of park rangers - including an ex-child soldier turned ranger, a caretaker of orphan gorillas and a dedicated conservationist - protect this UNESCO world heritage site from armed militia, poachers and the dark forces struggling to control Congo's rich natural resources. When the newly formed M23 rebel group declares war, a new conflict threatens the lives and stability of everyone and everything they've worked so hard to protect, with the filmmakers and the film’s participants caught in the crossfire.
A powerful combination of investigative journalism and nature documentary, VIRUNGA is the incredible true story of a group of courageous people risking their lives to build a better future in a part of Africa the world’s forgotten, and a gripping exposé of the realities of life in the Congo.
Source: Variety