Leonardo DiCaprio acquires rights to produce Volkswagen scandal film
Leonardo DiCaprio has acquired the book rights to produce a film based on the ongoing Volkswagen Clean Diesel scandal, according to reports.
DiCaprio's production company Appian Way finalized the deal along with Paramount Pictures to obtain the rights to a book proposal by Jack Ewing, a European economics correspondent who has been covering the scandal for the New York Times.
The book will focus on the illegal software Volkswagen put into their cars to cheat emissions tests in order to meet standards put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency. The scandal has forced Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn to resign as the German car manufacture faces up to $18 billion in fines. Michael Horn, chief executive officer of Volkswagen's operations in the United States, apologized for the illegal software during a Congressional hearing Thursday.
DiCaprio's production company Appian Way finalized the deal along with Paramount Pictures to obtain the rights to a book proposal by Jack Ewing, a European economics correspondent who has been covering the scandal for the New York Times.
The book will focus on the illegal software Volkswagen put into their cars to cheat emissions tests in order to meet standards put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency. The scandal has forced Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn to resign as the German car manufacture faces up to $18 billion in fines. Michael Horn, chief executive officer of Volkswagen's operations in the United States, apologized for the illegal software during a Congressional hearing Thursday.