Leonardo DiCaprio To Produce Movie About VW Diesel Emissions Crisis

We reported several times before Volkswagen is in the midst of an emissions software crisis. Now, that crisis from VW is being made into a movie. Volkswagen made cars with software that was engineered to cheat U.S. emissions testing. The VW crisis is a storyline that will be turned into a major motion picture, directed by none other than Leonardo DiCaprio.

A report from the Hollywood Reporter indicates Paramount pictures and Appian Way, the production company owned by DiCaprio, have purchased the rights to a book about the VW crisis written by New York Times journalist Jack Ewing. According to Reuters, the upcoming book and movie are supposed to indicate how a “more, better, faster ethos fueled one of the greatest frauds in corporate history.” No release date or timelime for the movie has been made public.

Hollywood is making a quick turnaround considering the news of the Volkswagen emissions crisis broke less than a month ago. The EPA announced the discovery of a so-called defeat device in select Volkswagen and Audi vehicles back on September 18, leading to speculation that VW could be fined as much as $18 billion for violations of the Clean Air Act. Since the news of the crisis broke, Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen’s CEO, resigned and Porsche CEO Matthias Müller took over his position. Since the beginning of the media firestorm surrounding the VW crisis, the organization has vowed to make sure dealers are compensated for stock they cannot sell and trade-ins that can’t be resold in the foreseeable future. As we reported previously, Volkswagen is also offering a $2,000 purchase inventive to encourage consumers to stay loyal to the Volkswagen brand.