While the promise of the long-gestating “The Irishman” has kept fans excited for years, the reality of it being made continues to be somewhat vaporous. Certainly, it could be something great, with an all-star cast of the long-attached Robert De Niro along with the potential Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel a mouth-watering prospect. But the years continue to stack up, and Scorsese always finds other movies to make besides this one, though De Niro just wants you to know the project still exists and maybe it’ll still get made one day.
“I have another gangster film I’m gonna do with Scorsese and it’s a very interesting one … We’re preparing it. We have a script and Marty has another film he’s doing before so it won’t be for a while,” De Niro said at a press conference abroad for his latest film “The Family” (via The Guardian). While he doesn’t directly name “The Irishman,” unless they’ve completely abandoned that project, it’s probably safe to assume that’s what it is.
To recap, the movie is an adaptation of Charles Brandt’s novel, telling the story of Frank Sheeran, the titular ‘Irishman,’ a WWII veteran who led a colorful life as a high ranking officer in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters while also dabbling in organized crime as a highly-sought-after hitman. He reportedly also had ties to the deaths of President Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa. Saucy stuff that sounds right in the “Goodfellas“/”Casino” wheelhouse, hence the excitement.
But really, this is the line De Niro has been peddling for years, as Scorsese continues to tackle other gigs. Remember, he’s still got “Silence” to make (which will reportedly be his next film — this time, for real — once he’s done “The Wolf Of Wall Street”) plus no shortage of other developing projects, such as the long gestating “Sinatra” biopic. So yeah, “The Irishman” is coming at some point perhaps, just don’t hold your breath for it.
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