Leonardo DiCaprio to play with 'Atari'

Hecker, Sherman pitch biopic about Bushnell

By TATIANA SIEGEL

Paramount Pictures has snapped up a pitch titled “Atari,” with Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star.

Written by Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman, project is a biopic about entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell, the creator of Atari and one of the founding fathers of the vidgame industry.

Bushnell and Ted Dabney founded Atari in 1972 and were instrumental in bringing arcade games, home vidgame consoles and home computers to the masses. Among the company’s contributions were Pong and the Atari 2600.

DiCaprio will produce via his Appian Way shingle.

Although Bushnell’s life rights had long been pursued by various suitors, Hecker and Craig Sherman persuaded the gaming pioneer that they could do his unique story justice.

Hecker most recently wrote and directed “Bart Got a Room,” which played at the Tribeca Film Festival.

DiCaprio is shooting Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” for the studio. His Warner Bros.-based Appian shingle has a number of projects set up including “Blink” at Universal and “Akira” at Warners.

Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117987072.html

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