Famous Hollywood thespians Al Pacino and Joe Pesci are both looking into joining The Irishman, a potential two-film project that will mark the ninth collaboration between legendary actor-director duo Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese.
Oscar-winner Steve Zaillian is scripting The Irishman, which is an adaptation of Charles Brandt’s novel I Heard You Paint Houses. The book chronicles the exploits of Mafia hit man Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a man who claims to have been responsible for the death of several famous mobsters.
The first Irishman movie would deal with the real-life narrative of the book in a straightforward manner, while the second pic will be a self-reflexive work – one De Niro previously compared to Federico Fellini films like 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita – that revolves around a director and actor whose experiences working together mirror those of De Niro and Scorsese.
The Irishman would be the fourth project that De Niro, Pesci, and Scorsese have worked on together, after Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Casino; it would also be the third movie to star both De Niro and Pacino, after Heat and Righteous Kill; and the first to feature all four of the well-renowned artists together.
De Niro and Scorsese’s new joint effort sounded intriguing from the beginning and the possible addition of Pacino and Pesci would be icing on the cake, so to speak. A whole generation of cinemaphiles and moviegoers alike grew up watching gangster films that involved these individuals and the notion that The Irishman could bring all four of them together will leave a number of fans quivering in their boots.
Scorsese is currently at work on Hugo Cabret and his name is associated with too many upcoming projects to keep track of – if Pacino and Pesci join De Niro as the stars of his new mob movie, look for The Irishman to happen sooner than later.
We will keep you posted on the status of The Irishman as more news comes in.
