Three Hollywood A-listers with a shared passion for the environment and animal rights have united for a new drama set against the ground war on poachers in the African savanna.
Tom Hardy, who most recently starred as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises", reportedly came up with an idea for the movie after being inspired by former Special Forces operative (also his friends), who are now anti-poaching fighters in South Africa and other countries.
The 34-year-old shared the idea with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire; with all three later agreeing to throw the project into development - most likely under Leo's Appian Way production company.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter, the movie will be modeled after Oscar-nominee “Traffic,” as they hope to tell the story through multiple plot lines. It will follow all sorts of poaching elements - from the ground war on poachers in Africa to how animal material ends up in the fashion houses of Paris.
That Leo would agree to produce the story is not surprising considering his heavy involvement in conservation efforts around the world; in particular the plights of elephants, sharks, and tigers.
“Illegal poaching of tigers for their parts and massive habitat loss due to palm oil, timber and paper production are driving this species to extinction,” he said in 2010 after making a $1M donation to the World Wildlife Fund. “If we don’t take action now, one of the most iconic animals on our planet could be gone in just a few decades. By saving tigers, we can also protect some of our last remaining ancient forests and improve the lives of indigenous communities.”
Maguire, a staunch vegan for much of his life, recently finished filming opposite DiCaprio in "The Great Gatsby." During that time in Australia, the 37-year-old reportedly sent back a gifted Mercedes after it was found to contain leather seats.
“I’ve never had any desire to eat meat," he once said in an interview. "In fact, when I was a kid I would have a really difficult time eating meat at all. It had to be the perfect bite, with no fat or gristle or bone or anything like that. I don’t judge people who eat meat — that’s not for me to say — but the whole thing just sort of bums me out.”
No word yet on when we can expect this animal trafficking film to bow - but expect its message and content to accurately reflect and inform on the dire situation of endangered species around the world. You can read more about the unfolding situation in Africa here.
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