Cast member Angelina Jolie poses at the premiere of "Maleficent"
Cast member Angelina Jolie poses at the premiere of "Maleficent" at El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California May 28, 2014. The movie opens in the U.S. on May 30. REUTERS

Angelina Jolie's fans have seen Joile the actress in the past, but the future will see Angelina Jolie as the director. After finishing "Unbroken" as a director, Brad Pitt's wife has now taken up a new project as a director. Jolie has signed up to direct "Africa," a film about celebrated conservationist Richard Leakey and his struggle with ivory poachers in Kenya that threatened the very survival of the African elephant population.

The screenplay for "Africa" is written by "Forrest Gump" Oscar-winning writer Eric Roth. The movie will reportedly be produced jointly by David Ellison from Skydance Productions, Angelina Jolie, Dana Goldberg and Jon Peters. Ellison called Richard Leakey's life as "inspirational" and says he feels "Africa is a story that deserves to be told." "I know that it [the movie] will exceed my expectations in Angelina's hands," the producer added.

Meanwhile, Angelina Joile called the screenplay and script of "Africa" as "beautiful" and said she felt a bonding with the culture of this country. "I've felt a deep connection to Africa and its culture for much of my life," revealed Jolie of the movie, according a press release. The movie is about "a man drawn into the violent conflict with elephant poachers, who emerged with a deeper understanding of man's footprint and a profound sense of responsibility for the world around him." This will be her fifth project as a director.

The movie will see cinematographer Roger Deakins team up again with Jolie after the pair worked together in Louis Zamperini biopic "Unbroken," which is scheduled for a Dec. 25 release. Joile is currently busy acting and directing "By The Sea" for Universal Pictures where she co-stars with her husband, Brad Pitt.

"Africa" tells the story of Richard Leakey who made headlines in 1989 when he burned 12 tonnes of ivory in Nairobi National Park to curb its poaching. The 69-year-old conservationist is the former head of the government's Kenya Wildlife Service and his extreme and passionate measures include sending helicopter gunships into the national park. Leakey's efforts have immensely helped recover the population of Kenya's elephant and rhinos, which were on the brink of extinction in the 80s.