Oct 27 2009 People Magazine's Hottest Hunks of Various Years Competing for Sinatra Bio?

The ever-reputable Guardian claims Martin Scorsese's Frank Sinatra biopic is the setting for a casting war! Except it's not so much a war so much as three big names that they're claiming may or may not be trying to get the lead:

George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp are all fighting to land the role that will surely give the victor the best chance yet of securing the critical acclaim to match their earning power.

Scorsese, who won his first best director Oscar in 2006 for The Departed, wants his current muse DiCaprio to play the Rat Pack singer. The two are putting the finishing touches to Shutter Island, their fourth film together, before Scorsese turns his attention to making Sinatra next year.

Executives at Universal, the studio financing the film, are pushing for Depp to play Sinatra, after being impressed by his performance as bank robber John Dillinger in Public Enemies this year.

But Sinatra's daughter, Tina, has her own view of how her father should be portrayed, which critics feel would be a sanitised life story. She favours Clooney, in what would be his most challenging role to date, as a safe pair of hands.

Obviously Martin Scorsese wants Leonardo DiCaprio playing Frank Sinatra. Martin Scorsese wants Leonardo DiCaprio to play every part. Howard Hughes, Gangs of New York guy, Departed guy, Shutter Island guy, muse, friend, wife, loving mother to his bushy-eyed progeny: Scorsese wants to see DiCaprio's round head in every one of those roles. And besides that, he'd probably would be a pretty decent Sinatra.

What confuses me are the latter two claims...

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May 14 2009 Scorsese Directing Sinatra Biopic, DiCaprio Undoubtedly Starring

In a grouping of Italian favorites the likes of which has previously only been seen on an Olive Garden menu, Martin Scorsese has signed on to direct and produce Universal's long-planned Frank Sinatra biopic. From Variety:

Universal Pictures and Mandalay Pictures are teaming on "Sinatra" and have brought on Scorsese — who has long flirted with a biopic on singer-actor Frank Sinatra — to direct and produce.

Phil Alden Robinson is writing the screenplay.

Although no actor is attached to star in the film, Schulman said Leonardo DiCaprio is an obvious candidate because he has become Scorsese’s go-to actor over the past decade, having starred in the director’s past four features: "Gangs of New York," "The Aviator," "The Departed" and the upcoming "Shutter Island." Because any music in the film will come from Sinatra’s recordings, it will not be necessary to cast an actor who is a proficient singer.

Well, of course DiCaprio is going to play Sinatra. And I'm sure he'll do a fine job with it. But what I'd really like to see is DeNiro in a role--probably something mob-related--along with the inexplicable inclusion of Tony Montana, Al Pacino's character in Scarface, so that pizza places could just have this one poster and cover all their bases.