Despite having a slew of connections to the comic book world — including producer roles on "Ninja Scroll" and "Akira," plus a once-rumored connection to "Button Man" — Leonardo DiCaprio has kept his hands clean of superhero fare... until now, that is.

According to Dreamworks, DiCaprio is set to lend his voice talent to "The Guardians," a new animated project from DreamWorks Animation. DiCaprio will play the legendary Jack Frost, who bands together with a group of other famous storybook heroes to fight an evil spirit named Pitch.

The group of heroes in "The Guardians" consists of the aforementioned Jack Frost, as well as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman. But beyond their status as folklore icons, the Guardians are also "a band of superheroes, who possess their own special powers."

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"Shutter Island" is more than just an island-bound mental institution, and it's also more than just a Leonardo DiCaprio-starring film. In 2010, it will also be a comic book.

According to ICv2, Tokyopop will publish a full-color, 128-page graphic novel adaptation of "Shutter Island" based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. The comic was originally adapted for French publisher Casterman by artist Christian de Metter.

The Tokyopop-released English translation will hit shelves on January 5, 2010, with the Martin Scorsese-directed movie heading to theaters one month later on February 19. Read more...

Last month, we caught up with comics veteran Todd McFarlane during the premiere of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and received some details about his plans for a new "Spawn" movie. Comparing the film to everything from "Jaws" to "The Departed," the Spawn (and Spider-Man villain Venom) creator had a lot to say about his ambitious plans for a reboot of the "Spawn" movie universe -- plans that include a very lofty goal for the film's lead actor.

"The main character isn't Spawn, per se, it's the guy chasing Spawn," McFarlane told MTV News. "And I've always had [Leonardo] DiCaprio in the back of my mind." Read more...

A common complaint when it comes to stateside adaptations of classic anime and manga properties has been the lack of actual Asian actors playing lead roles in them. And while that trend doesn't seem to be slowing down, could Leonard DiCaprio -- whose Appian Way production company has the likes of "Akira" and "Ninja Scroll" in the works -- be listening to what fans?

Indeed he has, if a recent post on Anime News Network can be trusted. In a move that should get the hardest of hardcore anime and manga fans excited, ANN reports that DiCaprio is considering casting Japanese pop group SMAP as main leads in his "Ninja Scroll" adaptation. Read more...

The upcoming film "Button Man" is not related in any way to "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" -- and, contrary to earlier reports, it's not related to Leonardo DiCaprio, either.

Entertainment Weekly is crying foul on Internet rumors that the "Body of Lies" actor would star in the "2000 A.D." comic property. The news site is reporting that Leo is not attached to "Button Man" according to studio representatives. The rumor originated from a listing in Production Weekly, a print magazine that provides information on Hollywood projects. Read more...

Depending on who you ask, "Body of Lies" actor Leonardo DiCaprio has been pushing all the right buttons -- so much so that he's landed the leading role in "Button Man," a brand-new movie based on the comic book property of the same name.

According to Production Weekly, "Button Man" focuses on Harry Exton, an ex-mercenary that participates in a violent underground sport known as "the game." Exton is one of several killers -- appropriately called 'button men' -- that define victory by slaying their opponent or claiming the first two joints of their victim's finger. When Harry decides to retire from the sport, he learns the hard way that his own survival is anything but a game. Read more...

FROM MOVIES BLOG: The world knows what Christopher Nolan's next movie isn't doing (i.e., returning to Gotham City) but no one knows just what it is. However, it's starting to take some shape with its casting, as according to The Hollywood Reporter, Leonardo DiCaprio is joining "Inception."

The film is now being described as "a contemporary sci-fi thriller set within the architecture of the mind." Nolan being Nolan, we all knew it would be something along the brain-bending lines of "Memento" and "The Prestige," so that description will have you looking for the story's twist before the film even begins rolling.

For more on Christopher Nolan, Leonardo DiCaprio and "Inception," head over to MoviesBlog.MTV.com.

While most of Hollywood seems to be focusing on comics made stateside -- with even French publishers getting some attention lately -- Leonardo DiCaprio has clearly set his sights on Asia.

Already reported here on Splash Page, DiCaprio's Appian Way production company has been picking up classic heavy-hitters from the world of Japanese manga and anime -- most notably "Akira" and "Ninja Scroll" -- to develop into live-action feature films. While the news of "Ninja Scroll" is still fresh on the blogs, "Akira" has already made some moves in Hollywood, being picked up by Warner Bros., scooping up Gary Whitta to write the script, and there's even rumors that Joseph Gordon Levitt will play the role of Tetsuo.

"We’re waiting for the final draft of the script [for 'Akira']," DiCaprio told MTV. "I’m a big fan of Japanese anime -- that and another project called 'Ninja Scroll' we’re trying to get developed and made into a movie, and I know there a lot of loyal fans out there of the project and die-hard fans, so we’re going to try to do the best job we possibly can and we’re not going to make the movie until the script is in the right shape." Read more...

FROM MOVIES BLOG: It looks like live-action anime adaptations are going to become the hot trend in Hollywood -- and we seem to have Leonardo DiCaprio to thank. According to Variety, "Ninja Scroll" is going to be remade at Warner Bros., with DiCaprio's Appian Way producing. If you remember, DiCaprio's production shingle is also behind Warner Bros' live-action "Akira." Alex Tse, who is fresh off Zack Snyder's "Watchmen," is set to pen the script.

"Ninja Scroll" is one of the most popular anime movies outside of Japan, ranking alongside the classics "Ghost in the Shell" and "Akira." It's a dark and gruesome story, following Jubei Kibagami, a ninja who finds himself on a quest to defeat the Eight Devils of Kimon. The villains include a hunchback, who boasts a wasp's nest as his deformity, a giant man with stone skin, and a woman with snake tattoos which can come to life.

Read more about Warner Bros. adaptation of "Ninja Scroll" at MoviesBlog.MTV.com.

It's been quite some time since we've heard anything from the live-action "Akira" movie front, ever since it was initially announced earlier this year that Warner Bros. and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way production company snagged the license to bring the manga-turned-anime classic to the big screen. So at this year's Toronto Film Festival, MTV managed to catch up with actor Joseph Gordon Levitt, who's rumored to play the role of Tetsuo.

When asked about the rumor, Levitt responded, "That just goes to show what you can believe about what people write about movies. I love the movie 'Akira.' I still have yet to read the manga, but that's really just a rumor. They don't have a script or anything."

So while Levitt doesn't necessarily say he's not attached, it looks as though fans of what is arguably "The Godfather" of modern manga/anime properties will have to wait a bit longer before any official word comes out.

Anyone looking forward to a live-action "Akira" film? Or do you think the manga/anime are the end-all-be-all for the Japanese classic? Sound off in the comments!