Leonardo DiCaprio roped in as Rumi to break Muslim stereotypes

The makers of the biopic on Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi, which has drawn a lot of criticism on social media for roping in Leonardo Di Caprio for the role, is on works and Oscar-winning screenwriter David Franzoni will be helming it.

'The Gladiator' writer aims to "challenge the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim characters in Hollywood," reports the Express Tribune.

Reportedly, the 69-year-old screenwriter visited Istanbul to meet Rumi experts so that the team could start shooting next year.

According to Franzoni, there are a lot of reasons to do such a movie and one of them is the popularity of Rumi in the US that needs to be spoken about.

"I think it gives him a face and a story," he added.

Other than the 'Titanic' actor as Rumi, the director and producer Stephen Joel Brown would like Robert Downey Jr to star as Shams of Tabriz.

"This is the level of casting that we're talking about," said Brown.

However, this cast has not been taken well on Twitter, which has blown up with anger and criticism against it.