After years of rumours and speculation, a Goodfellas reunion is finally happening.
It has been confirmed that Joe Pesci will be joining Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming mob movie The Irishman.
However, Pesci has been pretty pesky to pin down, having turned down Scorsese a reported 50 times before accepting the role.
Pesci’s chilling portrayal of sadistic Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas, based on real-life psychopathic gangster Thomas DeSimone, remains one of the most iconic performances in cinema history.
Tommy’s violent temper and twisted sense of humour made for some of the most shocking and memorable scenes in the movie.
It is no wonder that Scorsese was so keen to get Pesci, who is notoriously selective about his roles, on board with his latest project.
The much anticipated The Irishman looks set to become a future classic, and will mark the fourth time that Pesci and Scorsese have worked together.
Much like its spiritual brother Goodfellas, The Irishman is rooted in true crime literature. It is based on Charles Brandt’s 2003 book, I Heard You Paint Houses, which covers the murderous deathbed confession of Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran.
Pesci will play the part of Russell Buffallino, a seasoned Mafia Boss who is suspected to have blood on his hands after the murder of labour union leader Jimmy Hoffa.
As Pesci enters his mid seventies, it will be interesting to see what new insight he can bring to the gangster genre.
The $100-million movie was snapped up by Netflix earlier this year and will begin production in August.
We cannot wait!
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.