Angelina Jolie is to direct a "sweeping epic" film about veteran Kenyan conservationist Richard Leakey's fight with ivory poachers, the studio behind the movie said on Sept 19.

The Oscar-winning actress - whose latest film as director, Unbroken, is out in December - will go behind the camera once again for Africa, with a screenplay by another Oscar winner, Eric Roth.

"I've felt a deep connection to Africa and its culture for much of my life," Jolie says, praising Forrest Gump writer Roth's "beautiful" script.