February 26, 2015 - 15:46 AMT
Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian to fund Armenian Genocide epic: Showbiz411

Armenian-American billionaire Kirk Kerkorian is funding a secret feature film about the Armenian Genocide, Showbiz411 reports citing sources.

The Ottoman Empire, precursor to the country known as Turkey, killed around 1.5 million to people in the effort to destroy Armenia and establish itself. Kerkorian is hoping to produce the Armenian “Schindler’s List” to memorialize the holocaust.

There is already an Oscar nominated director and screenwriter signed to the project. Various actors’ names have come up, and some of that may become clear soon. The movie is described by the director– who’s asked not to reveal his name yet– as a “Reds” or “Dr. Zhivago”, a sweeping World War I romance set against the Armenian Genocide.

Kerkorian, who’s always been fascinated with Hollywood, is said to have contributed over $1 billion to Armenian charities and causes over his long life time.