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Confirmed: Joe Pesci Will Team Up With Martin Scorcese for 'The Irishman'

Confirmed: Joe Pesci Will Team Up With Martin Scorcese for 'The Irishman'

Not funny like a clown, but deadly serious

Michael Minay

Michael Minay

In April, it was looking very likely that Joe Pesci would appear in a new film by Goodfellas director Martin Scorcese.

The pair, who worked together for the 1990 classic, are now definitely joining back together for the first time since 1995's Casino, according to Deadline.

It had been rumoured that Pesci, who won an Oscar and Golden Globe for his role in Goodfellas, had dropped out and that filming would be going ahead without him.

Credit: Warner Bros/Casino

However, he's now reportedly signed his contract, and will partner Robert De Niro on screen.

Al Pacino is the last to confirm his appearance, with the deal currently being finalized.

Rumours were strongly circulated when Scorcese's long-time editing partner, Thelma Schoonmaker, appeared to confirm the news during an interview about his latest film, Silence.

She told Crave: "He [Scorcese] wants to make more films like Silence, that are spiritual, basically, but not set in 17th century Japan.

"So, hopefully we'll be able to make that. Not the next one - the next one is The Irishman, which is De Niro and Joe Pesci and elderly gangsters. So, that'll be very different from Silence." It was a pretty big hint.

via GIPHY

Originally, according to the Independent, Pesci had 'repeatedly told Scorsese no', in regards to featuring in the film, but now there's a definite U-turn.

Production has already begun on the film, with lucrative rights picked up at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Netflix are rumoured to have acquired worldwide rights to the film.

It would seem almost a funny move by Pesci, who has only featured in a handful of films, including three Lethal Weapon outings, since the mid-1990s.

The question would be, what do we mean by funny, Joe?

Credit: Warner Bros/Goodfellas

The Irishman is based on the book also known as I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, which follows the 'biggest mob hit in history'. The title is derived from gangster slang for contract killings, with 'paint' being a not-so-subtle reference to blood.

De Niro will play the title character, Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran, with Pesci cast as Russell Bufalino, a Mafia boss from Pennsylvania who has long been suspected of having a hand in the disappearance of Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa - the man Sheeran was accused of killing.

Credit: Hodder Paperbacks

Last year De Niro and Pesci collected an award as Casino was entered into the Movie Hall Of Fame at the Guy's Choice 2016 awards.

The Irishman will be the first time Scorcese has linked up with Al Pacino, who starred in another mob classic, The Godfather. It's De Niro's 10th time working with the award-winning director.

Anyone get the feeling this is going to be another classic?

Featured Image Credit: Facebook

Topics: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino