Ben Child 

Angelina Jolie to direct story of the man who declared war on elephant poachers

Actor’s fourth film behind the camera will be a ‘sweeping epic’ focusing on fossil-hunter Richard Leakey’s aggressive wildlife preservation campaign in Kenya
  
  

Angelina Jolie
Saving the elephant ... Angelina Jolie to direct story of conflict over poaching in Kenya Photograph: DAVID FISHER/DFS

Angelina Jolie is to direct Africa, the true life story of a fossil hunter drawn into a violent battle with elephant poachers, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Kenya-born Richard Leakey was best known for his discovery of the bones of early hominids when he was appointed to take on hunters amid international outcry over the killing of elephants and other wildlife in 1989. He oversaw a highly successful, unashamedly aggressive approach to conservation that involved setting up armed Kenya Wildlife Service units authorised to shoot poachers on sight. Leakey chronicled his experiences in the 2001 book Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa’s Natural Treasures.

Eric Roth’s screenplay for Africa is described as a “sweeping epic”. Jolie has appointed Britain’s Roger Deakins, who worked with her on the forthcoming biopic Unbroken, to take charge of cinematography.

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“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,” said Jolie in a statement.

Africa will be Jolie’s fourth film as director. She debuted in 2011 with the award-winning Bosnian war drama In the Land of Blood and Honey and will release the second world war-themed biopic Unbroken this Christmas. The intimate romantic drama By the Sea, in which Jolie also stars alongside husband Brad Pitt, began shooting in Malta last month.

 

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