Leonardo DiCaprio to portray multiple personalities in 'The Crowded Room'

LOS ANGELES, March 2 (UPI) -- Leonardo DiCaprio is slated to take on The Crowded Room.

The 40-year-old actor will star as Billy Milligan, a real-life man who became the first person to successfully use multiple personality disorder as a legal defense in the 1970s. Milligan had 24 identified personalities, and died at age 59 in December 2014.

Milligan was acquitted of robbery and three rapes on the Ohio State University campus after arguing two of his personalities committed the crimes. Ragen, a Yugoslavian communist personality, admitted to the robbery, while Adalana, a lesbian personality, took responsibility for the rapes.

DiCaprio and his Appian Way production company will team with New Regency on the project. Jason Smilovic (Lucky Number Slevin) and Todd Katzberg will adapt the script from a nonfiction book on Milligan by Daniel Keyes.

DiCaprio has reportedly intended to portray Milligan for nearly 20 years. The actor last appeared as Jordan Belfort in Martin Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street, and is scheduled for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu revenge drama The Revenant with Tom Hardy in 2016.