Leo Flick Catches Spielberg

ByABC News
August 23, 2001, 2:26 PM

August 22 -- The title of Catch Me if You Can has been an apt one so far, as lining up a director for the Leonardo DiCaprio film has proved to be extremely elusive.

Now the tale of Frank Abagnale Jr., the youngest man ever to be placed on the FBI's Most Wanted List, has snared the interest of Steven Spielberg, who will direct and produce for DreamWorks Pictures, Variety reports.

The list of directors who have come and gone from the project, which has been in development since 1997, include Gore Verbinski, Lasse Hallström, Milos Forman, and Cameron Crowe.

Spielberg is reorganizing his schedule to take on the film, which is tentatively set to start in January.

Catch Me if You Can will star DiCaprio as Abagnale, whose 1980 memoir detailed his criminal exploits of fraud and counterfeiting, all committed before his 18th birthday. The baby-faced 26-year-old DiCaprio should be able to commit his own cinematic fraud by appearing eight years younger for the role.

Sopranos star James Gandolfini was previously mentioned to co-star in the film.