Robert De Niro is returning for another gangster film – and he'll be playing both leading roles.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, De Niro will star in Wise Guys, a new film penned by Nicholas Pileggi. He wrote the (unrelated) book Wiseguy, which Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas was based upon. Rain Man director Barry Levinson will helm the film, which is planned for a theatrical release. Goodfellas and Rocky producer Irwin Winkler is onboard as a producer.
Wise Guys will focus on two crime bosses, Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, who were active in the 20th century (the film will be a period piece). Costello was a boss of a major crime family, but in 1957, Genovese tried to have him killed – though Costello survived, he was wounded, and he eventually ceded power to Genovese and retired. The family is now known as the Genovese crime family, one of the "Five Families" of the New York City Mafia. THR's sources indicate that De Niro will be playing both Costello and Genovese, which is certainly a unique twist to the tale.
De Niro is no stranger to a gangster epic: his credits in the genre include Goodfellas, The Godfather 2, Casino, and The Irishman. He's working with frequent collaborator Scorsese once again for Killers of the Flower Moon, which is expected in 2023, and also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, and Lily Gladstone.
Wise Guys doesn't have a release date just yet, but while you wait, check out our roundup of all of 2022's major movie release dates for everything the year has in store for us.
