Angelina Jolie To Direct Biopic On Richard Leakey, Titled ‘Africa’ For Skydance Productions

Angelina Jolie will direct the upcoming biopic on Richard Leakey titled “Africa,” Skydance Productions announced Friday. The movie is reportedly based on the famed paleoanthropologist and his fight against elephant poaching.

The film is written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth, while Oscar-nominated Roger Deakins will team up with Jolie as her cinematic collaborator. Jolie has also recently worked on a biopic of Olympic runner and World War II hero Louis Zamperini, titled “Unbroken,” which is scheduled for a Christmas Day release.

"I've felt a deep connection to Africa and its culture for much of my life and was taken with Eric's beautiful script about a man drawn into the violent conflict with elephant poachers who emerged with a deeper understanding of man's footprint and a profound sense of responsibility for the world around him,” Jolie said, in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Jolie, whose first directorial debut was the Bosnian war romance, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," in 2011, will also reportedly serve as a producer on "Africa," along with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Jon Peters.

Skydance CEO Ellison reportedly said that the film “will exceed my expectations in Angelina’s hands.”

"She (Jolie) is sure to turn Eric Roth's impeccable script into the project that I've always wanted Skydance to be involved in," he reportedly said.

Jolie is currently working on the romantic drama “By the Sea” in which she will star with her husband Brad Pitt. The couple secretly got married last month after being in a relationship for nine years.