Martin Scorsese will turn back the clock on his career when he reunites with Robert De Niro for a gangster movie about mob hitman Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran. The director and actor last worked together on the 1995 drama Casino.
The Irishman is scripted by Steven Zaillian from Charles Brandt's 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses. A former union official, Sheeran was linked to the 1975 murder of Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa and was one of only two non Italian-Americans on the FBI's list of mafia suspects. He died at a Philadelphia nursing home in December 2003.
Reports suggest Al Pacino may also join the cast along with two other seasoned Scorsese collaborators, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel. The Irishman is due to shoot next year.
Scorsese and De Niro first worked together on the 1973 film Mean Streets. In the following two decades they collaborated on another seven pictures, including Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy and Goodfellas. De Niro won the 1981 best actor Oscar for his role as boxer Jake LaMotta in Scorsese's Raging Bull.
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