Is Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Satori' The Next 'Bourne' Franchise?

[NelsonG]

[i]By Sterling Wong[/i]

[img]http://www.mtv.com/movies/photos/o/oscars_11/movies/inception2.jpg[/img]

Is[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/16710/personmain.jhtml"] Leonardo DiCaprio[/url] the next big action star? The critically acclaimed actor has been known recently for more Oscar-baity fare like the upcoming “[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/469428/moviemain.jhtml"]J. Edgar[/url],” but it looks like the star’s trying to shake things up. He’s signed up to work with [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/06/08/leonardo-dicaprio-quentin-tarantino-django-unchained/"]Quentin Tarantino as the villain in “Django Unchained,”[/url] and now DiCaprio is set to kick some butt as the star of “Satori,” a film adaptation of Don Winslow’s bestselling novel.

Set in the Cold War era of the 1950s, DiCaprio will play Nicholai Hel, a Westerner who grew up in Japan and becomes an expert in martial arts and Go, a Japanese chess game, reports [url="http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/warner-bros-acquires-post-wwii-don-winslow-novel-satori-for-leonardo-dicaprio/"]Deadline[/url]. Hel is recruited by the CIA to assassinate a Soviet ambassador to China, but he is betrayed and has to run for his life as various intelligence agencies chase after him.

There’s no memory loss involved, but we’re definitely seeing some distinct similarities between DiCaprio’s Hel and [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/tag/jason-bourne"]Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne[/url], what with the CIA betrayal and Hel and Bourne’s hyper-intelligence. Like Bourne, "Satori" will have an international feel to it: besides having a history in Japan, the film will also see DiCaprio’s character making his way across Vietnam as he’s chased by antagonists from America, China, Russia and France, among others. Indeed, if "Satori" turns out to be a hit, it's said that Warner Bros. hopes to develop it into a successful franchise much like the "Bourne" series.

"Satori" will not be the first film adaptation of a Don Winslow property. The author has another book, “Savages,” in the big screen works. Directed by Oliver Stone, this movie features an ensemble cast that includes John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Blake Lively, Benicio Del Toro and Emile Hirsch. With a scheduled release date of September 28, 2012, “Savages” looks likely to hit theaters much earlier than “Satori.”

Outside of "Satori," DiCaprio is currently busy filming Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” and after that is completed, he will move on to “Django Unchained,” which is expected to keep him busy until spring 2012. So, it looks like action fans will have to be patient, and in the meantime, we can get our "Bourne" fix with the Jeremy Renner reboot, “[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/382540/moviemain.jhtml"]The Bourne Legacy[/url],” which will be released next year.

[i]What do you think of Leonardo DiCaprio as an action star? Tell us in the comments or on [url="http://twitter.com/mtvmoviesblog"]Twitter[/url]![/i]



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