Famous Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio is set to play the infamous Russian mystic and confidante of the Romanov Russian royal family, Grigory Rasputin, in a new biopic.

      The new movie's screenplay was written by Jason Hall ("American Sniper") with the aim of casting the Oscar-nominated star of Django Unchained and The Aviator to take the lead role. Studio Warner Brothers has picked up the rights to the screenplay.

      The movie is expected to reveal the story of Grigory Rasputin's life, entrenchment of his power in the royal family and his mysterious death in 1916. DiCaprio reportedly liked elements of the script which centre on Rasputin's life as a twin whose brother died early, leaving him missing the better part of himself.

      Rasputin, as one of the most mysterious and controversial figures in Russian history, has already become a central character in many movies and even cartoons ("Anastasia" 1997). In 2011 the latest movie about Rasputin was made, with French actor Gerard Depardieu to play the main role.

      This casting news comes about a month after DiCaprio announced he would be taking a break from his acting duties this summer, having just filmed "The Great Gatsby," "Django Unchained" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" consecutively. In January, DiCaprio said he'd be taking "a long, long break" from acting after feeling "a bit drained." The date for starting the new film is still unknown.