Los Angeles, Apr 11 (IANS): Actor Don Cheadle will produce and star in upcoming biopic "Prince of Darkness", which will focus on the life of 19th Century millionaire Jeremiah G. Hamilton.

The script of the film has been adapted from Shane White's book "Prince of Darkness: The Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire", reports variety.com.

White's book portrays Hamilton as a larger-than-life character who defied convention during the period and amassed a $2 million fortune by the time of his death in 1875. He dealt extensively in the white business world, married a white woman, bought a mansion in rural New Jersey, and owned railroad stock on trains he was not legally allowed to ride.

When Hamilton died, he was often referred to as the richest black man in the US.

Cheadle has previously appeared in films like "Devil in a Blue Dress", "Boogie Nights", "Out of Sight", "Traffic".

Besides that, he also plays the character of James Rhodes aka War Machine in the "Iron Man" and "Captain America" movies.