The longtime collaborators, whose previous hits together include Raging Bull and Goodfellas, were first linked to the biopic about real-life union official-turned-mafia hitman Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran in 2008, but production plans with Paramount Pictures executives in 2011 stalled due to scheduling issues.
Scorsese recently revealed he was prioritising the movie to prevent further delays following the release of another passion project, Silence, and now sources tell Variety.com cameras will begin rolling on The Irishman later this year (17).
The film is based on author Charles Brandt’s 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses, in which Sheeran detailed his alleged murder of mafia leader Jimmy Hoffa. The book’s title refers to the criminal slang for contract killings.
The Irishman marks the ninth collaboration for Scorsese and De Niro, who first started working together on 1973’s Mean Streets. The new movie will be their first since 1995 crime classic Casino.
A release date has yet to be announced.