Leonardo DiCaprio In Space: This Is Not A Movie

“Leonardo DiCaprio in space” has nothing to do with the actor’s next film. He will actually be launching into orbit with the $1.5 million winning bidder at a recent Cannes charity auction, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The website noted that the auction was held on Thursday night at the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS charity dinner from the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. The flight will be managed by Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic.

DiCaprio joked that several in showbiz would love to see him reach for the stars, “but only on a one-way ticket.” Harvey Weinstein arranged the auction and confirmed that the winning bid would be sitting next to the star of The Great Gatsby, but the pair won’t be alone.

Also Thursday night, a pair of tickets were sold for a total of $2.3 million, adding to the gala’s $25 million total, which was up $14 million from last year.

The auction booklet called the flight a “once-in-a-lifetime trip to space with a mystery guest.” It wasn’t until Thursday that Gatsby himself was announced as the mystery man.

It’s not the first time DiCaprio has done charity. Earlier this month, he helped raise $39 million as an auctioneer for The 11th Hour, an environmental charity.

According to the Telegraph, Mark Ruffalo, Salma Hayek, and Bradley Cooper were among the bidders at the prior event.

If you’re upset that you won’t be joining Leonardo DiCaprio in space, fret not. He remains reachable on the big screen. In fact, just this week things were reported as finally moving along with the Travis McGee movie. The actor is in talks for taking lead and novelist Dennis Lehane has entered negotiations for penning the script.

What do you think about putting Leonardo DiCaprio in space, and which actor or actress would you pay $1.5 million to sit next to on a trip to the stars?

[Image via cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com]