Universal and Tom Hanks’ production company Playtone have optioned the film rights to Erik Larson’s best-seller ‘In the Garden of Beasts,’ which centers around the Hitler era. The Oscar-winning actor may also get the chance to star in the movie.

The non-fiction book is a vivid portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitler’s reign, brought to life through the stories of William Dodd, a US ambassador to Berlin, and his daughter Martha, a socialite who had romantic affairs with a Gestapo official and a Soviet spy. It’s the second book of Larson’s to get the Hollywood treatment — he also penned ‘The Devil and the White City,’ which is currently in development by Leonardo DiCaprio.

‘Beasts’ will be the latest historically-themed project from Hanks. His production company was also behind the Emmy-winning miniseries ‘Band of Brothers,’ ‘The Pacific’ and ‘John Adams.’

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