Leonardo DiCaprio's First Movie Since His Oscar Is This Mysterious Quentin Tarantino Project

Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Academy Award for his performance in 2015's The Revenant, but he hasn't done much acting since — until now. Leonardo DiCaprio's first movie since his Oscar has been announced via Deadline, and it's a mysterious Quentin Tarantino project. Tarantino and DiCaprio last worked together on 2012's Django Unchained. This new film, which does not have a title yet, is unofficially known as Tarantino's Charles Manson movie. Deadline reports that while details are scarce, DiCaprio is confirmed to play an "aging actor" in a "Pulp Fiction-esque movie set in 1969 Los Angeles," which is the summer the Manson family murders occurred.

Deadline also reports that "Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt have been circling the project" for two unknown roles. Slashfilm announced that he may be looking to add Al Pacino to the cast too, but they expanded on a rumored plot line. According Deadline, it will chronicle "A TV star and his stunt double who attempt to make the move to the big screen in the middle of the politically charged landscape of Hollywood in 1969, right as the Golden Age of Hollywood was giving way to the American New Wave." The untitled film is produced by David Heyman, whose name fans may know best from the Harry Potter credits, and is slated for an August 9, 2019 release.

Little else is known about DiCaprio's role in the new Tarantino film, including whether he'll actually play infamous cult leader and criminal Charles Manson. Considering Tarantino is reportedly casting a Sharon Tate, it stands to reason that the Manson family murders will be more significant to the film than early announcements are letting on. Plus, the reported August 9, 2019 release date is no accident — it will, in fact, be the 50th anniversary of Tate's murder. Tarantino has reportedly asked Margot Robbie to play the role of Sharon Tate. The young actor's 1969 murder stunned Hollywood, as the star was 26-years-old and eight months pregnant at the time of the Manson family's attack.

If Robbie signs on for a role, it will be her first time working with Tarantino, and second opposite DiCaprio. They appeared together in The Wolf of Wall Street, which was directed by Martin Scorsese, and helped introduce Robbie to a wider audience. Though she's not officially on board, Robbie did tell The Hollywood Reporter that she wants to work with Tarantino. It should be noted that Tarantino's films, historically, feature an over-the-top level of violence, often up close and personal, and with an absurd amount of fake blood. If he really is tackling a Manson-themed film, and its release will coincide with the anniversary of the most famous victim's death, this is definitely something he should handle with sensitivity.

An unrelated Sharon Tate biopic has been rumored to be in development for several years, most recently with Kate Bosworth attached to star. As of now, it's unclear whether production moved forward with that film, or how it may be affected by Tarantino's 1969 epic. That's just one of myriad reasons longtime Tarantino fans, DiCaprio fans, and those interested in history are eager to learn more about the upcoming film.

DiCaprio picks and chooses his projects carefully — he seems to prefer a renowned director, a big budget, and a great character — and that's unlikely to change. Since this is DiCaprio's first role since winning an Oscar, who knows what it will be like? Will it be as controversial as plantation owner Calvin Candie in Django Unchained, or as conflicted as his role in The Departed? As doomed as Romeo from Romeo + Juliet, or as iconic as Jack Dawson from Titanic? The people need to know, DiCaprio. They need to know.