Only in the crazy world of Netflix can a world-class auteur come off of a passion project that bombed (Paramount’s Silence) and make a $100 million follow-up with an all-star cast. That’s right, rumor has it that Martin Scorsese is being gifted a triple-digit budget to bring The Irishman to life. If true, that makes this the biggest feature film project that the streaming giant has tackled to date, surpassing the hefty price tag of David Ayer’s Bright.
We already learned recently that this Steve Zaillian-scripted adaptation of Charles Brandt’s I Heard You Paint Houses is still coming and that Robert De Niro is still playing lead Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran. At last report, it was expected that Al Pacino is still involved, though no deal was in place. Both statements are still true, but the folks over at The Tracking Board have provided us with a few more details about the mob hitman project.
First things first, should he sign on, Pacino will be portraying Pennsylvania mafioso Russell Bufalino. Also, should Scorsese and De Niro be able to coax him out of retirement, Joe Pesci is expected to portray Teamsters lawyer Bill Bufalino. There’s no word on whether or not oft-rumored participant Jack Nicholson might still be interested or who he’d be expected to play, but my money is on an appearance as Jimmy Hoffa, should Jack sign on.
Moving on, we have two new names to add to the “maybe” column. The first is Bobby Cannavale (“Vinyl“), who will likely be playing a low-level thug nicknamed “Skinny Razor”. The second is none other than Harvey Keitel, another old Scorsese regular. Sadly there’s no word at this time as to who the veteran actor is being looked at for.
As if Netflix scoring a Scorsese picture weren’t enough, it’s going to be a big budget mafia hitman biopic that spans decades. Part of that budget will reportedly go to de-aging De Niro (and likely others) for stretches of the film. On top of it being a Marty/Bobby reunion picture and an FX-filled mob movie, it’s also set to showcase an all-star lineup. When Netflix landed this sucker, they skewered a white wale of a project. I cannot wait to see what comes of it, especially since Scorsese will be unrestrained by running time or rating restrictions.
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Matt