Barry Levinson and Robert De Niro are getting the band back together for Wise Guys, a period drama that will have you sleeping with the fishes, see? The mob-related project finds Levinson and De Niro joining forces after teaming for the HBO TV movie The Wizard of Lies and the films What Just Happened, Wag the Dog, and Sleepers. Word has it that De Niro will tackle two roles for Wise Guys. Will you be able to handle it?
According to reports, Wise Guys revolves around Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, two Italian-American crime bosses that ruled the streets during the mid-20th century. In 1957, Genovese tried to assassinate Costello but botched the attempt. Costello got injured in the altercation, but the experience prompted him to retire. The thing about the mob is that you can never truly leave that line of life behind. That lifestyle has a way of following you no matter where you go. It haunts you.
Goodfellas scribe Nicholas Pileggi wrote Wise Guys, with Rocky franchise producer Irwin Winkler producing. Levinson plans to release the film in theaters instead of a streaming service.
De Niro will star in several upcoming projects, including David O. Russell’s Amsterdam, Randall Emmett’s Wash Me in the River, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, to name a few. He’s also toplining the TV series Nada, which focuses on an iconic bon vivant who barely has enough resources to maintain his affluent lifestyle. To make ends meet, he hires a young woman from Paraguay to replace the recently deceased maid who took care of him for more than 40 years.
Are you interested in Levinson’s Wise Guys? Are you excited about De Niro acting alongside himself for the film? I’m curious to see how this project will turn out. We’ll provide you with details as Levinson and De Niro’s latest collaboration shapes up.