Leonardo DiCaprio is set to play infamous cult leader Jim Jones in a new movie about his life.

After founding the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis in 1955, Jones hailed it a fully-integrated congregation promoting Christian Socialism.

By the 1970s however, he openly rejected traditional Christianity and declared himself God.

In 1974 he constructed Jonestown in Guyana and inspired a following to live with him in what he described as a socialist paradise free from US government oppression.

That “paradise” didn’t last long as, four years later, the US government sent a delegation led by US Representative Leo Ryan to investigate reports of human rights abuse.

Ryan and four other Jonestown defectors would eventually be gunned down by Jones’ loyal followers.

After the shooting and knowing the net was closing in, Jones orchestrated a mass murder-suicide of his followers which resulted in the death of 918 commune members - 304 of whom were children.

He did this by evilly convincing them to drink a concoction of Flavour Aid laced with cyanide.

According to Deadline, Oscar winner DiCaprio, 46, will not only star, he will also co-produce for his Appian Way company alongside Jennifer Davisson.

In 2018, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood star DiCaprio co-produced Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle, a detailed docu-series which charted the rise of Jones and his Peoples Temple, so he will have a lot to draw on in preparation for the role.

The new movie’s script has been penned by Venom co-writer Scott Rosenberg, but no director has as yet been attached.