Leonardo DiCaprio To Star In 'The Crowded Room' As Man With 24 Personalities

Leonardo DiCaprio will star in 'The Crowded Room' in which he will play a character with 24 personalities.

Leonardo Dicaprio could be facing his most challenging role yet. The 40-year-old actor is set to play Billy Milligan in The Crowded Room. DiCaprio will have to play 24 separate characters as Milligan suffered from multiple personality disorder. The project has been long in the making as DiCaprio first expressed his interest in playing the role in 1997 but the film was shelved for more than a decade. Now, with DiCaprio's production company Appian Way and New Regency, the project has been revived.

Leonardo DiCaprio will star and produce The Crowded Room.

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Milligan was embroiled in a high publicised court case in the 1970s in which he was accused of robbery and raping three women. Milligan pleaded insanity and, after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, his defence team were the first to use multiple personality disorder as a defence. Milligan was thought to have 24 personalities of which less than half were known to his psychiatrists. Following the trial, Milligan was incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital for a decade.

The Crowded Room will be based on Daniel Keyes' non-fiction book on Milligan, The Minds of Billy Milligan. The book will be adapted by Jason Smilovic and Todd Katzberg. Smilovic has previously written and created such series as Kidnapped and My Own Worst Enemy. Katzberg has previously worked with Smilovic on Kidnapped.

In addition to starring in The Crowded Room, DiCaprio will also produce the film alongside Jennifer Davisson (Red Riding Hood) and Alexandra Milchan (Paranoia).

THR first reported the news.

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Leonardo DiCaprio To Star In 'The Crowded Room' As Man With 24 Personalities