One of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Most Divisive Movies Is Getting the Remake Treatment at Netflix

Critical and box-office hits dominate Leonardo DiCaprio‘s filmography, but even the best of actors can be part of poorly received projects. One of the most divisive films the Titanic star has acted in is the 2013 remake of The Great Gatsby, in which he played the lead character, Jay Gatsby. A new report reveals that Netflix is considering a remake of the movie, but with a twist. The streaming platform has acquired the rights to Stephen Gaghan‘s Valley of Ashes, a film loosely inspired by The Great Gatsby. It is reported that Netflix jumped on the project quickly after it was pitched, since they didn’t want to lose out on it once it started being shopped around.

Gaghan will direct the movie from his own script. Details about Valley of Ashes are being kept under wraps, but the film is rumored to be set in Silicon Valley. He reteams with Jennifer Fox, with whom he worked on the political thriller Syriana; she is billed as a producer. Gaghan is an award-winning writer-director known for writing Steven Soderbergh‘s Traffic, for which he won an Academy Award in 2001. He is currently writing Billion-Dollar Spy and Billion-Dollar Ransom for Amazon MGM. Other writing credits include Rules of Engagement and The Alamo. He has directed films such as Gold, Syriana, and Dolittle.

‘Valley of Ashes’ Is a Different Take on The Great Gatsby

The 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald has been adapted numerous times, with the first adaptation, starring Warner Baxter as Gatsby, appearing a year after the novel’s publication. 23 years later, in 1949, another version was made with Alan Ladd as Gatsby. The late Robert Redford starred in the 1974 version, and Toby Stephens led the 2000 TV movie. The book follows Jay Gatsby, a wealthy Long Island resident known for his lavish parties. However, his love for Daisy Buchanan is the largest void in his life, stemming from a missed opportunity in their youth.

Baz Luhrmann directed the 2013 version starring DiCaprio. Although it was met with mixed reviews, it grossed approximately $350 million. It currently holds a 48% rating based on 305 critic reviews. Reviewers note that while it is a visual masterpiece, it lacks the charm that makes the book a classic and one of the highest-regarded novels to this day. Collider’s Matt Goldberg reviewed it in 2013 and noted those same problems. An excerpt from his review reads:

“In some ways, Luhrmann is a perfect match for the material. His visuals are as crackling as some of the writing in Fitzgerald’s book, and the characters are almost as hollow. The difference is that Fitzgerald knew his characters were empty on the inside. There’s no sympathy for Gatsby because the story doesn’t really support it. He’s a deluded crook and a phony, and these are traits that can only be tolerated insofar as we can tolerate a child for believing in fairies because the child doesn’t know any better. Gatsby’s fairy is the mystical green light, and Luhrmann deeply sympathizes with his title character. Gatsby truly believed he could repeat the past. The Great Gatsby showsLuhrmann can only repeat the past.”

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates about this adaptation.