Jim Jones tracks the true story of Jim Jones, the founder of the Peoples Temple, a religious cult that promoted Christian Socialism. Jones later claimed he was God and led his followers to compound, which would later be known as “Jonestown,” in Guyana in 1974.
In November 1978, following reports of human rights abuses that threatened an investigation by the U.S. government, Jones staged a mass murder-suicide that killed 918 members of the church, including more than 304 children. Five American government delegates, including U.S. Representative Leo Ryan, were also killed in a shootout with commune members. The tragic event inspired the phrase “drink the Kool-Aid,” referring to the cyanide-laced grape-flavored drink consumed by the cult members.
DiCaprio has a full dance card for the next few months. In December, he stars in Don’t Look Up for Netflix. Directed by Adam McVay, the film sees DiCaprio playing a scientist trying to convince the public that the sky is falling—er, that a comet is heading for Earth. DiCaprio leads an all-star cast that includes Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Chris Evans, Cate Blanchett, Gina Gershon, Himesh Patel, Mark Rylance, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, Ariana Grande, Melanie Lynskey, Michael Chiklis, and Ron Perlman. “All star cast” is a bit of an understatement in this case.
After that, he’ll star in Martin Scorsese’s The Killers Of The Flower Moon, which follows the F.B.I. investigation into a series of murders of Osage Native Americans in Oklahoma in the first third of the 20th century.
