Leonardo DiCaprio to Make VW Emissions Scandal Movie

Environmentally minded Leonardo DiCaprio will produce a movie about Volkswagen’s emissions scandal following a deal with Paramount Pictures.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way and Paramount Pictures have bought the rights to an as-yet-unwritten book about the scandal, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

It is not known whether Leonardo DiCaprio will star in the new movie.

Last month VW admitted 11 million of its diesel vehicles worldwide are fitted with software that beat emission tests.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that many VW cars being sold in America had devices in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the performance accordingly to improve results.

The “defeat device” allows cars to pass lab testing even though they actually emit 40 times the emissions standard.

VW CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned after the scandal broke.

Volkswagen has recalled almost 500,000 cars in the US alone and it has set aside €6.5 billion to cover costs.

The book proposal about the scandal is by New York Times journalist Jack Ewing and it will reportedly explore the “more, better, faster” ethos and how it played into the scandal.

Leonardo DiCaprio has produced a number of environmental documentaries including the 2014 films Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret and Virunga, about the battle to save the last of the world’s mountain gorillas.

The actor’s environmental foundation has given $30 million in grants since it was founded in 1998.

In 2013, Leonardo DiCaprio announced he would enter a team in the new electric motor racing championship Formula E.

Leonardo DiCaprio, an environmental campaigner, said: “The future of our planet depends on our ability to embrace fuel-efficient, clean-energy vehicles.”