Jim Jones which is based on the 1970s religious cult leader who was behind the Jonestown mass suicide on November 18, 1978 that took more than 900 lives.Jones founded the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis in 1955, and hailed it as a fully integrated congregation promoting Christian Socialism. By the 1970s, he openly rejected traditional Christianity and claimed that he was God. He constructed Jonestown in Guyana in 1974 and spurred a following to live with him there as he touted a socialist paradise free from U.S. government oppression.Amid rumors of human rights abuses, the American government sent a delegation led by U.S. Representative Leo Ryan in November 1978. Ryan, along with four others, would eventually be gunned down by Jones’ followers. Following the shooting, Jones orchestrated a mass murder-suicide of his followers, which took the lives of 918 commune members, 304 of them children, in an act that entailed drinking Flavor Aid laced with cyanide.
MGM scooped up the Scott Rosenberg-penned script in which reportedly was a seven-figure deal. He will also executive produce Jim Jones. Rosenberg’s feature writing credits include Beautiful Girls, Con Air, High Fidelity, Gone in 60 Seconds, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level. He’s an executive producer on the upcoming miniseries Citadel, Epix/MGM’s From and Netflix’s live-action series Cowboy Bebop, as well as Hulu’s High Fidelity among several others.
Meanwhile, Leondardo DiCaprio stars next in Netflix’s Adam McKay comedy Don’t Look Up opposite Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep and Ariana Grande among others. He also stars next in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon for Apple Originals Films. DiCaprio has been nominated at the Oscars seven times and won Best Actor for 2016’s The Revenant.