Leonardo DiCaprio and his Appian Way production company is joining forces with Langley Park's Kevin McCormick for the true story adaptation American Wolf.

The producers have acquired the movie rights to a book proposal by Nate Blakeslee, beating out other studios such as New Regency and Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers in a competitive bidding situation.

The story centers on the female alpha wolf known as 0-Six, named after the year she was born, who is considered the most famous wild animal on Earth. The wolf was collared and tracked by researchers at Yellowstone National Park, which gained a huge following from both scientists and the general public. In 2012, 0-Six was shot and killed by a hunter just outside the park's boundaries, which caused a great deal of controversy even though the killing was legal. Wolves were then "scaled back" from the endangered species list, with new population control measures put in place.

The book follows the impact 0-Six had on the nature aficionados and wolf watchers around her, along with the unidentified hunter who killed her. No screenwriter has been set to write the adaptation at this time, and it isn't known if Leonardo DiCaprio has any interest in starring in the adaptation, or if he will only produce. We also reported last month that Leonardo DiCaprio is producing an Untitled Animal Poaching Project alongside Tobey Maguire and Tom Hardy.

Nate Blakeslee also wrote the book Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, which was set up at Lionsgate with Halle Berry attached to star.