Leonardo DiCaprio to star as fur trapper in Gonzalez Inarritu's new thriller The Revenant

Will the role finally win DiCaprio his first Oscar?

Leonardo DiCaprio will star in an adaptation of Michael Punke's thriller 'The Revenant' (Getty Images)

Leonardo DiCaprio will star in a new gritty thriller as a fur trapper in 1820s America, a role that could see him finally win an Oscar.

DiCaprio has been confirmed to star in The Revenant, an adaptation of Michael Punke’s 2003 novel, as a real-life 19th century fur trapper called Hugh Glass.

Glass gets mauled by a bear and is left fighting for his life after being robbed, forcing him to set out on a treacherous journey to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.

Dicaprio’s character is described as “deserted, defenceless and furious”.

The role follows the actor’s turn in Martin Scorsese’s popular film The Wolf of Wall Street, which saw DiCaprio nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor earlier this year.

DiCaprio has been nominated for the award three times, but has missed out on the Oscar for his performances in The Aviator (2004), Blood Diamond (2006) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2014).

DiCaprio missed out on the Oscar for his role in 'The Wolf of Wall St' (Paramount Pictures)

Critics have claimed the actor chooses the wrong parts and often plays the same role as a young, ambitious man driven by money.

Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has written the script to the adaptation and will be directing DiCaprio in the new film, which is due for release next autumn in time for the awards season.

The rest of world will be waiting to see if Hugh Glass’ American adventure can do enough to win the actor his first Oscar.

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