Leonardo DiCaprio, Abhay Deol produce a biopic on boxer Willie Pep

Pep,’ a sports biopic based on the renowned mid-20th century featherweight boxer Willie Pep, will be produced by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and Bollywood actor-producer Abhay Deol.

According to reports, Leonardo DiCaprio will produce the biography through his production company, collaborating with Deol’s Blisspoint Entertainment in Canada and Singapore’s Golden Ratio Films. Robert Kolodny will direct the film from a script by Steve Loff, which will be shot in Pep’s hometown of Hartford, Connecticut.

The idea was produced by Blisspoint Entertainment, a film and content development business formed two years ago by Deol and producer Ratan Ginwalla. They previously worked together on the horror-thriller ‘Son’ with Golden Ratio.

Vistas Media Capital, a content, media, and entertainment investment holding company own 100% of the Golden Ratio.

Willie Pep will be played by James Madio in the film. The actor had previously appeared in the miniseries Band Of Brothers, which aired in 2001. Pep’s son Billy Jr. will be played by Keir Gilchrist, while Pep’s business manager Bob Kaplan will be played by Ron Livingston. The film’s female protagonists are still being kept under wraps.

Appian Way has worked on films such as ‘The Revenant,’ ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ and TV’s ‘Live by Night.’

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Appian Way to portray the tale of the late Willie Pep – a legendary boxer who has inspired many with his emotional comeback to the ring,” Abhayanand Singh, CEO, and co-founder of Vistas Media Capital, said of the planned project, according to the article.

“We’re committed to growing our content creation and distribution capabilities across geographies, and we’re constantly on the lookout for thought-provoking tales that highlight the human spirit’s tenacity,” he continued.