Leonardo DiCaprio is being tipped to play Alan Turing in a forthcoming biopic based on Andrew Hodges' biography, Alan Turing: The Enigma.
According to Deadline Hollywood, 'The Imitation Game', which has taken more than a year to write, was snapped up by Warner Bros for a 7-figure sum last week.
Nikki Finke wrote "I've learned that the studio outbid half a dozen indie companies because Leonardo DiCaprio "has the inside track" to play the lead and was chasing the project. But so far no talent is attached."
'The Imitation Game' is by first time scriptwriter Graham Moore,
It tells the life story of the mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist who lived in Wilmslow and is best known for being the father of modern computer science.
Whilst working at Bletchley Park, the brilliant mathematician conceived the Turing-Welchman Bombe to break the German Enigma code during the Second World War. He is considered to be one of the most influential thinkers of our time, his work was fundamental to the Allied victory in World War Two and in 1999 Time Magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.
In 1952, at a time when homosexuality was illegal in the UK, he was convicted of "gross indecency" after admitting to being homosexual. He was sentanced to chemical castration and given a series of injections of female hormones to reduce his sex drive. His security privileges were also withdrawn meaning he could no longer work for the UK Government Communications Headquarters and, having made one of the most outstanding contributions of the twentieth century, he died in 1954, aged 41, after eating an apple laced with cyanide at his home in Wilmslow.
In September 2009, following a public campaign, the PM Gordon Brown issued a post-humous apology for the way in "appalling"and "utterly unfair" treatment he received as a result of admitting to being homosexual.
Next year is the 100th anniversary of Alan Turing's birth, to mark the centenary a number of major events, including exhibitions, conferences and lectures, will take place throughout the year to celebrate the life and scientific influence of Alan Turing.
Visit the Alan Turing Year website for information about events scheduled to take place around the world in 2012.
