Having finally reached a deal to bring The Irishman to the screen at Cannes after a fierce bidding war, Martin Scorsese’s plans for his long-gestating adaptation of Charles Brandt’s bestselling book I Heard You Paint Houses have suffered a setback, with The Hollywood Reporter revealing that there’s a big question mark over the involvement of Joe Pesci.
According to the site, Pesci – who has not appeared on screen since 2010’s Love Ranch – has “repeatedly has told Scorsese no” with regards to appearing in the project, which will star both Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. However, the article also states that the director “remains hopeful” that he can convince his Goodfellas star to come out of retirement for the movie.
The Irishman follows the “biggest mob hit in history” and will see De Niro as Frank Sheeran, who on his deathbed claimed to have killed Jimmy Hoffa, as well as being involved in the assassination of JFK. The script has been penned by Steve Zaillian, who previously collaborated with Scorsese on Gangs of New York.
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