Leonardo DiCaprio to play diamond smuggler in Africa

'Titanic' and 'Aviator''Titanic' and 'Aviator' star Leonardo DiCaprio, seen here in January 2005, is to shift from heroism to criminalism in his next movie role as a diamond smuggler in Africa (AFP)

"Titanic" and "Aviator" star Leonardo DiCaprio is to shift from heroism to criminalism in his next movie role as a diamond smuggler in Africa, the entertainment press said.

The 30-year-old superstar has signed on for the lead role in the thriller "The Blood Diamond," to be directed by Edward Zwick, whose other credits include "The Last Samurai" and "Glory", according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Oscar-winner and "Beautiful Mind" star Jennifer Connelly is in negotiations to co-star in the film about a poor African farmer who gets caught up in a conflict between a US diamond smuggler and thesyndicatethat controls the local diamond mining industry, the daily said.

Filming is scheduled to start on the film early next year and production studio Warner Bros is scouting locations in Africa, the Reporter said.

(Agencies)

syndicate: a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities（犯罪集团）