Medical drama? Mafia drama? This show’s got something for everyone. Of course, the development timeline on this project is anyone’s guess, as HBO is absolutely brimming with projects right now. But, all other things held equal, I’m going to guess that the mafia one that was brought to them by Leonardo DiCaprio won’t be far from the top of the list.

There’s no indication that DiCaprio will be acting in this series, though he was originally interested in a movie adaptation of the book. Still, though…Leonardo DiCaprio! Eh? Eh?

Yeah.

Whereas Caruso took the reins of Four after Michael Bay decided to cash the giant paycheck that is Transformers 3, Caruso isn’t being called in to replace anyone with Beat the Reaper. He was selected by no less than Fox and Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Appian Way. Caruso says, via Playlist, that they are trying to hire Leo as the protagonist, though confirmation on that is still outstanding. While this project sounds like a worthwhile endeavor, I’m sure that DiCaprio is swimming in worthwhile projects, so it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not he’ll commit, though his attachment as producer is a good sign.

This puts Caruso amidst two expected franchises in Four and Reaper, as the doctor character in the latter is expected to be built upon in later books, so this announcement could effectively tie Caruso up for the next ten years or so. Or…we could just see how both these initial entries treat him and take it from there. Yeah. Let’s do that.

Beat the Reaper is in bookstores and everyone I know is telling me I should read it, which is the highest recommendation I can give without having read it myself. What? It’s a movie site, not a literary forum…