Sylvester Stallone has been cast in Scarpa.

The actor will play hitman Gregory Scarpa, also known as 'The Grim Reaper', in the mob tale, reports New York Post.

The film will focus on career criminal Scarpa and his work as an FBI informant, as he helps to solve the Mississippi Burning case by allegedly kidnapping a member of the Ku Klux Klan in 1964.

In 1993, Scarpa pleaded guilty to three murders and died a year later in prison of complications from AIDS.

The Lincoln Lawyer's Brad Furman has signed on to direct, with Goodfellas' Irwin Winkler producing.

Stallone is also due to write and star in Rambo V, after Splendid Film bought the rights to a sequel.