Leonardo DiCaprio has pulled out of a starring role in Mel Gibson's planned Viking movie, dpa reported according to celebrity website Radaronline.com.
The website has led the coverage of Gibson's altercations with his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva over their split and the custody of their daughter, Lucia. A source close to DiCaprio told the site there was "not a chance" that DiCaprio would appear in Gibson's action film.
DiCaprio's move comes amid heightened speculation that Gibson's rants could severely impact his future plans as a director and actor.
The latest scandal, which centre on abusive, sexist and racist- tinged comments made by Gibson, came after he resurrected his career following a notorious anti-Semitic outrage following his arrest for drunken driving in 2006.
Gibson's untitled project was slated to begin filming in 2010 and would be produced by Graham King and Mel's Icon Production, Radar reports.
According to the report from Radar, DiCaprio did not want to risk his reputation on Gibson's film, especially following his recent commercial success with Inception and Shutter Island.