Originally published July 12, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
Martin Scorsese has cast some names that are quite familiar to fans of his movies in his upcoming film The Irishman for Netflix, with Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel and Bobby Cannavale set to join Robert De Niro and Al Pacino (though the latter’s deal is still being finalized).
It was reported a couple months ago that Pesci was being courted to join the project before that was disputed by the actor, but now he seems to have officially joined the cast in the film about the disappearance of Teamster union leader Jimmy Hoffa.
Pesci has starred in several of Scorsese’s most memorable films, such as Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino, all of which he starred alongside De Niro. Keitel hasn’t starred in a Scorsese film for many years, but is known for Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, both of which he starred alongside De Niro as well. Cannavale, meanwhile has starred in Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl, two series which Scorsese has executive produced.
The film will explore the disappearance and possible murder of Jimmy Hoffa, leader of the Teamsters union. Though the case is one of the coldest in American crime, labour union official Frank Sheeran, who had ties to the mafia, claimed on his deathbed to have been the one to kill Hoffa and dispose of the body. This claim has been disputed by the FBI and other sources, but is still thought to be a strong answer for his disappearance.
The Irishman will see De Niro taking on the role of Frank Sheeran, and will reportedly employ CGI to digitally de-age its cast. Pesci will portray mafia boss Russell Bufalino who has been long suspected of having a hand in the disappearance of Hoffa. It is slated to begin production in August ahead of a planned release in 2019.
