The Antigua Prisión Provincial in Malaga, which has been chosen as the principal location for Ridley Scott’s The Cartel

A MALAGA prison has been chosen as the set for Ridley Scott’s new thriller.

The atmospheric Antigua Prisión Provincial on Avenida Ortega y Gasset in the Cruz de Humilladero quarter will be re-imagined as a huge Mexican maximum security prison in The Cartel.

Leonardo DiCaprio has been cited as the likely protagonist for the flick, which is due to start being filmed in the city this summer.

An adaptation of a novel by Don Winslow, its story centres around a cat and mouse game between a US drugs detective and the head of a cartel.

The 14,000m2 building, was visited by Scott last December while he was looking for locations for another upcoming film, a Western called Wraiths of the Broken Land, which have not yet been revealed.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who is rumoured to be the likely star of Ridley Scott’s The Cartelrevealed.

The prison is currently undergoing a major renovation project to become a huge arts and community space.

Spanish army helicopters may also be drafted in for the film, which was first publicly revealed two years ago.

Scott recently visited the airfield of Colonel Maté near Madrid, which could also feature in the movie.