Netflix nabs DiCaprio’s ‘The Outlaw Ocean’

We’ve seen Leonardo DiCaprio survive a savage winter in “The Revenant.” Now the Oscar winner is making “The Outlaw Ocean,” a true story about a poacher that goes on the run for 110 days.

The Sam Simon (L), one of two ships that pursued The Thunder, moored in Sydney, August 2013.
© William West / AFP Photo

Through his production company Appian Way, Leonardo DiCaprio is producing “The Outlaw Ocean” for digital subscription film and TV service Netflix.

The film’s true life material is sourced from a six-part series of investigative journalism articles written for the New York Times Magazine by reporter Ian Urbina.

A third entry to his series, originally published as “A Renegade Trawler, Chased by Eco-Vigilantes” in July 2015, follows the Thunder, one of Interpol’s most wanted ships, and chased by two other ships crewed by environmental protection groups.

The hunt ran for a record-breaking 110 days and for 10,000 miles, from the Antarctic to the west coast of Africa, in a pursuit that crossed three oceans and two seas.

Storms, ice floes, and a near-collision threatened to wreck the vessels before the Thunder sank in mysterious circumstances off the coast of Nigeria.

As an action thriller, “The Outlaw Ocean” is going to Netflix, part of an exclusivity deal that gives the streaming service a first look at eligible projects coming out of Appian Way.

Leonardo DiCaprio with his Best Actor Oscar for “The Revenant”
© AFP PHOTO/ROBYN BECK

Since 2004, DiCaprio’s production company has overseen more than a dozen films since 2004 including Oscar nominee “The Aviator” and Oscar winner “The Wolf of Wall Street,” as well as “Orphan,” “The 11th Hour,” “Detachment” and others.

Part of the intention is to bring a greater focus to environmental issues, reportsThe Tracking Board — the Thunder was notorious for its continued criminal activity in that respect — and DiCaprio is well known for his interest in the subject.

Surfing the wave of worldwide recognition that 1997’s “Titanic” brought, DiCaprio set up his own environmental non-profit, became a prominent owner of electric and hybrid vehicles, and upon receiving the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2016, spoke to the unavoidable impact of climate change.

Prior to the “Outlaw Ocean” announcement, DiCaprio and Netflix had already collaborated on Best Documentary Oscar nominee “Virunga,” centered upon a Congolese national park, and farming feature “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret.”