Benicio del Toro will take on the role of Pablo Escobar in the upcoming Paradise Lost, Variety reports. The story, based on true events, will mark the directorial debut of Andrea di Stefano, who can soon be seen as an actor in Ang Lee's Life of Pi. He will also provide the screenplay.

The story follows a young man, Nick, who visits Colombia and falls in love with a girl named Maria. Things get a little more complicated, however, when he learns that Maria's uncle is the infamous drug lord.

Despite the matching title, Paradise Lost has no connection to Alex Proyas' now-defunct adaptation of John Milton's 17th century poem or Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's trilogy of documentaries surrounding the West Memphis Three.

Del Toro recently starred in Oliver Stone's Savages and is set to headline the upcoming AKA Jimmy Picard, directed by Arnaud Desplechin.

Frederique Dumas, Dimitri Rassam and Jerome Seydoux will produce Paradise Lost with production slated to begin in March 2013 in Panama.

(Photo Credit: FayesVision / WENN.com)