Fans of high heated, cuss laden, blood soaked cinema can rejoice as talk about Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman has been reignited, despite the film’s unscheduled release date.
Actors Robert De Niro, who is slated to star, and Joe Pesci exchanged comedic yet subtly caustic words as to Pesci’s participation in the aforementioned pictured. Apparently, De Niro has set his eyes on Pesci for a role in this Scorsese led project, with Pesci strong signals that he does not want in.
Pesci and De Niro are famous for their roles together in films such as Goodfellas and Casino, the former earning Pesci an Academy Award for best supporting actor. In both films, the two actors played characters who were the epitome of the colloquial “wise-guys”, death and destruction following close behind on their journey to power and riches.
Despite Pesci’s hesitation, The Irishman is slated to have a stellar cast and crew with the legendary Martin Scorsese, who also directed both Goodfellas and Casino, and a possible reunion between De Niro and Al Pacino.
De Niro and Pacino, known as the greats of their generation, have appeared together in a surprisingly lackluster amount of films. If the rumors are true and Pacino is indeed signed on for The Irishman, then this will be their fourth film together.
There has been some controversy as to the ability of De Niro and Pacino, both by all means senior citizens, to portray the physicality and limberness that comes with playing a gangster. De Niro has been outspoken about the possibility of using technology, as was used in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, to make the actors appear younger or to even go the standard route of using a body double for some scenes.
The Irishman screenplay is by Steve Zallian, of Schindler’s List and American Gangster fame which tells the story of mob hitman Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran and about the related disappearance and death of Jimmy Hoffa. It is based on the Charles Brandt book I Heard You Paint Houses and is still in the production phase.
Featured Image via Wikimedia
