In the Works: Scorsese, Tarantino, and More

“Martin Scorsese is putting the band back together,” writes Anita Busch, breaking the news at Deadline that “Joe Pesci has officially joined Al Pacino (whose deal is currently being finalized) and Robert De Niro in Scorsese’s Jimmy Hoffa disappearance film The Irishman. We were told that Harvey Keitel and Bobby Cannavale have been talking about joining the production; they are in talks.” Image above: De Niro and Scorsese on the set of Goodfellas (1990).

The Irishman is based on Charles Brandt’s book I Heard You Paint Houses, “based on the deathbed confession of Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran,” and Busch delves a bit into the controversy surrounding this particular version of Hoffa’s death. But the project has also drawn attention for the sheer scope of Scorsese’s ambition here. As the Hollywood Reporter’s Pamela McClintock noted in March, the leads will appear at ages thirty, fifty and seventy, driving costs up to anywhere between $120 million and $150 million. In late February, Paramount and STX Entertainment backed out and Netflix swooped in. Shooting begins next month.

THR’s Borys Kit reports that Quentin Tarantino “is quietly starting to put together his latest project,” a “unique take on the Manson Family murders.” Producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein are on board and Tarantino has evidently approached Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lawrence about taking on roles. Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. hears that “Tarantino met with Margot Robbie to potentially play Sharon Tate, the actress wife of director Roman Polanski who was slain in 1969 in a brutal murder whose savagery shocked the country.” Samuel L. Jackson may be in play as well.

“In an unconventional move, Clint Eastwood has tapped Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone to play themselves in his next movie, The 15:17 to Paris,” reports Variety’s Justin Kroll. “The film will tell the story of the three Americans who stopped a terrorist on a train bound for Paris. Jenna Fischer, Judy Greer, and Ray Corasani will also join the real-life heroes in the film.”

Kroll also reports that director David Ayer has left what would be the third version of Scarface, this one starring Diego Luna.

Charlize Theron is “eager to trek back through the desert as the one-armed Imperator Furiosa in a prequel to Max Mad: Fury Road,” reports Ramin Setoodeh. “‘I’d love to,’ Theron tells Variety. ‘There were three scripts. They were written as back stories to Max’s character and to Furiosa’s character. But at the end of the day, this thing lives and breathes with [director] George [Miller]. I think Warner Bros. knows that. We are all waiting for him to show us the way.’”

Spielberg, the documentary, will air on HBO on October 7, reports Cynthia Littleton for Variety. Director Susan Lacy interviewed Steven Spielberg for over thirty hours, and he’ll narrate the film himself. We can also expect to see such faces as Cate Blanchett, Francis Ford Coppola, Daniel Day-Lewis, Brian de Palma, Laura Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Richard Dreyfuss, Ralph Fiennes, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Holly Hunter, George Lucas, Liam Neeson, Martin Scorsese, Oprah Winfrey, and Robert Zemeckis.

“Renée Zellweger, Isabella Rossellini, Common, Simon Baker, Taylor Kinney (Zero Dark Thirty) and Gus Birney (The Mist) have joined the Sarah Jessica Parker in the romantic drama Best Day of My Life,” reports Anita Busch for Deadline. “Fabien Constant (Mademoiselle C) is directing the film from a screenplay written by Laura Eason (House of Cards).”

Also, a “female Jason Bourne-type film is on its way and from the filmmakers who have given us the last eight Bond movies." Well, the producers at any rate, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. "They have tapped both Blake Lively to star in the female-driven espionage thriller and The Handmaid’s Tale director Reed Morano to helm." The Rhythm Section is "based on the first in the series of four novels from Mark Burnell.”

Series

Toni Collette has already written the pilot for an adaptation of Julia Dahl’s novel Invisible City, “a psychological murder mystery set in Brooklyn’s old world Hasidic community,” according to, once again, Deadline’s Anita Busch.

Back in 2004, The L Word “took what Queer as Folk did for gay men in Manchester and applied it to absurdly glamorous women in Los Angeles,” writes Rebecca Nicholson for the Guardian. And now, a “sequel is in the works at Showtime, with original showrunner Ilene Chaiken (who has since been busy with Empire and The Handmaid’s Tale) back on board as an executive producer, along with original cast members Jennifer Beals (Bette), Katherine Moennig (Shane) and Leisha Hailey (Alice). The idea is that the three would appear in the reboot, and their characters would act as a ‘connection’ to a new generation of women.”

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