Liam Neeson To Lead Martin Scorsese's Japan-Set Drama SILENCE

Lawsuits and production delays are finally over for Martin Scorsese, as the shooting for his next film Silence is moving closer to reality. The long delayed production was expected to happen years ago, but was thrown into a legal battle. All of that has cleared up, as Deadline reports that Liam Neeson will take the lead role in the film. Neeson previously took a role in Martin's Gangs of New York, which was also a priest. Daniel Day-Lewis was originally cast in this role but would eventually exit over delays. You might remember that Neeson was original set for the lead role in Lincoln, but was later recast with Daniel after it's own delays.  It's a great career choice on the part of Neeson, who has been taking on more action focused roles. Seeing him take on a more serious role like this, might lead to him becoming a major Oscar contender again.


The film centres around a group of 17th century Jesuits who to try bring Christianity to isolated Japan. These events eventually become violent as The Shogun (ruling class in Japan) outlaw Christianity, as they see it a threat to their divine rule of the country. Other cast members include Andrew Garfield (Social Network, Red Riding, Never Let Me Go) and go-to Japanese actor Ken Watanabe (Inception, Last Samurai, Unforgiven). Oddly, enough there is zero mention of Adam Driver (Girls), who apparently landed a supporting role in the film recently. I'm dying to see this finally get made, I expect we'll be hearing more high-level western and Japanese talent added to the cast.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Andrew Garfield And Ken Watanabe Join Martin Scorsese's SILENCE

Variety (via LatinoReview) reports that Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield and go-to Japanese actor Ken Watanabe have joined Martin Scorsese's long delayed Silence. The film centres around a group of Jesuit priests who travel to Japan which doesn't end well. Andrew will take the lead while Ken will play the priests' translator.

Shea Whigham Joins THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Deadline reports that character actor Shea Whigham has joined Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. Shea is best known for his role in HBO's Boardwalk Empire but has had roles in films such as Sliver Linings Playbook, Savages, Take Shelter, Knight of Cups and Machete. The thriller stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Kyle Chandler (Zero Dark Thirty), Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bernthal (Walking Dead), Jon Favreau and Margot Robbie (Pan Am).

Jonah Hill Officially Joins Cast Of 'DJANGO UNCHAINED'

It looks like Jonah Hill will be in Django Unchained afterall. Deadline says that Hill has taken a role in the anticipated Southern flick. Originally, Jonah had been liked for the role of Scotty Harmony who is sold Django's wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). He won't be playing Scotty so it's anyone's guess who he'll be playing. It's possible he could be replacing Joseph Gordon-Levitt as one of the Australian hicks.

SOURCE: Deadline

Jean Dujardin Joining 'WOLF OF WALL STREET'

It's being reported that French actor and recent Oscar winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) is now in talks to join Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. The 80's financial thriller already stars Leonardo DiCaprio Jonah Hill and Kyle Chandler. Jean would play a Swiss banker involved in laundering illicit funds for the protag’s (DiCaprio) firm. Marty isn't messing around casting-wise and we should expect more big names to get involved soon as production starts.

SOURCE: ShowBlitz

Kyle Chandler Joins Leo DiCaprio And Jonah Hill In 'WOLF OF WALL STREET'

Deadline reports that Kyle Chandler (Argo, Zero Dark Thirty) has joined Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill.

Jonah Hill Joins Martin Scorsese's 'WOLF OF WALL STREET' Starring Leonardo DiCaprio

Deadline reports another addition to Martin Scorsese's Wolf of Wall Street which stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Jonah Hill has nabbed a supporting role in the film which isn't surprising after his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Moneyball. Hill will play Jordan Belfort's (DiCaprio) best friend and business partner in the film. The two actors would have originally been first seen together in Tarantino's Django Unchained but Hill had to turn down an offered role.

It's Official Martin Scorsese's Next Film Is 'WOLF OF WALL STREET' Starring Leonardo DiCaprio

There had been some confusion of what project Martin Scorsese would be making next. He had his passion project Silence that had issues finding funding along with a return to the gangster genre with adaptation of I Heard You Paint Houses titled The Irishman. Yet, it's been announced that The Wolf of Wall Street is the next film for Marty. The film based on the memoir and true life story of wall street hot shot Jordan Belfort. It's been adapted by Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire writer/creator Terence Winter with Leonardo DiCaprio set for the role of Belfort.

Belfort, who founded one of the first and largest chop shop brokerage firms in 1987, was banned from the securities business for life by 1994, and later went to jail for fraud and money-laundering, delivers a memoir that reads like fiction. It covers his decade of success with straightforward accounts of how he worked with managers of obscure companies to acquire large amounts of stock with minimal public disclosure, then pumped up the price and sold it, so he and the insiders made large profits while public investors usually lost. Profits were laundered through purchase of legitimate businesses and cash deposits in Swiss banks. There is only brief mention of Belfort’s life before Wall Street or events since 1997. The book’s main topic is the vast amount of sex, drugs and risky physical behavior Belfort managed to survive. As might be expected in the autobiography of a veteran con man with movie rights already sold, it’s hard to know how much to believe.

Martin Scorsese And Leo DiCaprio Commit To 'The Wolf Of Wall Street'

Deadline reports that Martin Scorsese has announced his next film. It will be one of the many films he's been developing titled The Wolf of Wall Street. Based on the memoir of Jordan Belfort which focuses on his days as a hard partying, drug addicted stockbroker who was indicted in 1998 for security fraud and money laundering and served a 22-month federal prison stretch. Leonardo DiCaprio who had originally been attached is set to star and co-produce the film. Production will begin this August but a release date hasn't been slated yet. This will be the fifth film the pair have worked on together. Terrence Winter wrote the script who is behind the mega successful HBO shows Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire.

Headhunters' Director Morten Tyldum Next Film Will Be What Happened To Monday?

Norwegian director Morten Tyldum's breakout film Headhunters is opening a lot of doors for the filmmaker. Deadline reports Morten will cut his teeth on his first English film which will be a science fiction thriller titled What Happened To Monday? The story follows a group of identical septuplets (seven) who are trying to avoid governmental execution due to a one-child-per-family rule set in place as the result of overpopulation. To make their situation even more of a struggle, one of them goes missing and the other six set out to try to find them. 

His recent film Headhunters is based on the novel by Jo Nesbo which features an art thief, corporate espionage and a murderous mercenary played by Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones). I recently saw the stunning thriller which gets an North American debut this spring. Another one of Nesbo's crime novels The Snowman is getting a film adaptation by Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese Circling Serial Killer Film The Snowman

Variety reports Working Title who is best known for films like Love Actually, Atonement and the budding George Smiley franchise (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy) is looking to pull in Martin Scorsese to direct their next project. They've got a hold of the rights to Jo Nesbø's The Snowman which involves a Norwegian serial killer and detective Harry Hole. They have screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan (State of Play, World War Z) tackling the script with Martin circling the director's chair.

It's just one installment in a series of novels. Considering how much play David Fincher's Swedish set Millennium Trilogy (Dragon Tattoo) and Ridley Scott's British set Red Riding Trilogy (remake) is getting. It seems like studios could be looking for the next European set serial killer thriller.

Scorsese has a couple projects coming up which includes The Irishman (I Heard You Paint Houses) and Silence. The Irishman currently has Al Pacino, Harvey Keitell, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci attached and a script by Steve Zallian (Dragon Tattoo, Gangs of New York). I'd like to think Marty would focus first on The Irishman then go after this Norgweian set thriller.

Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Making A Whitey Bulger Bio-Pic

Warner Bros. is really coming out with some seriously interesting projects in the last couple of months. This new one that ThePlaylist (via GQ) mentions sounds like something that could have Oscar contender written all over it. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are re-teaming for a bio-pic of Boston mobster Whitey Bulgar who was the head of the notorious Winter Hill gang. While there are a number of other Bulger films in development Damon hopes their project will scare off the other guys. The big weight behind their version is that Terence Winter the writer of HBO's Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire will be handling the script with Ben Affleck directing. Not to mention a major studio is backing them.

Damon and Affleck would star in the film but it's unknown if it will be a straight up period piece similar to Goodfellas. Bulger was a major influence on Jack Nicholson's character Frank Costello in Martin Scorsese's The Departed. I wouldn't be shocked to see Martin Scorsese attached as a producer down the line along with familiar faces in supporting roles. I'm beyond exicted to see another crime drama directed by Affleck and having it written by Winter is a giant bonus. I'm a massive fan of Ben as a director and I really wish he sticks to this sort of genre for at least a couple more films. He's been offered more commerical films like Man of Steel and Stephen King's The Stand but I'd prefer he'd stick to these type of movies.

If I had to come up with one actor that needs to be included in this film it's Alec Baldwin. Alec played such an amazing gangster in The Cooler and a ruthless salesman in Glenngary Glen Ross. It would be a shame for him to retire before going all out that a film like this could allow him to do. I felt he was short changed in The Departed since he plays such great villains.

Scorsese, DiCaprio & Monahan Re-Teaming For Gambler Remake

Deadline reports that the dynamic group of director Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and writer William Monahan who worked on The Departed will work together again. The project is a remake of the classic 1974 James Caan film The Gambler. Where a college professor's gambling addiction slowly corrupts him and forces him deeper into debt with sharks. Martin's next film is the long in development Silence but has a slew of other projects are also in works as well. They include the hitman drama The Irishman with Robert DeNiro and The Wolf of Wallstreet with DiCaprio.

Scorsese & DiCaprio Re-Teaming For Wolf of Wall Street

Deadline reports on the next two films for Martin Scorsese which have long been gestating. First off they say Silence with Bencio Del Toro is back on and will be next when he is finished with Hugo Cabret. They also reveal Scorsese wants to direct Wolf of Wall Street after Silence.

He originally wanted to make the film with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead but eventually ended up in the hands of Ridley Scott. Ridely has left the project to focus on Prometheus and Marty/Leo are now back in the picture. DiCaprio would play a Wall Streeter with a raging drug habit and hard partying lifestyle that ultimately brings him down. The script was adapted by Boardwalk Empire writer Terry Winter.

Harvey Keitel Also Joining Martin Scorsese's Irishman

I'm just beyond shocked at the amazing cast Martin Scorsese is putting together for The Irishman. First Robert De Niro, then yesterday with the confirmation from the actor himself that Al Pacino and Poe Pesci are joining. Now De Niro tells ShowBiz411 that Harvey Keitel is also in the movie. It's another big reunion with the addition of Keitel who worked with both Robert and Scorsese on such classics as Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. While it's too early to say I believe this new film quite possibly could rival the Departed and Goodfellas in awesomeness.

De Niro Confirms Pesci & Pacino For Scorsese's The Irishman

Robert De Niro while speaking with MTV confirms that Joe Pesci and Al Pacino have roles in The Irishman. The mob film which will be directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Steve Zallian (American Gangster, Gangs of New York) is quickly becoming one of my most anticipated films in development. I think this very well might be the epic teaming of Pacino and De Niro we've all been waiting for.

Robert also reveals Eric Roth (Benjamin Button) wrote a script that involves flashbacks and could be considered for a sequel/prequel in the future.

Martin Scorsese's The Irishman Next, Steve Zallian Handling Script

DigitalSpy (via ThePlaylist) reports on some new quotes from Martin Scorsese on one of his many gestating projects The Irishman. He reveals the film is currently in the financing stage and could shoot as early as next year. The film is based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt which focuses on WWII vet/union official turned mob hitman Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran. Robert De Niro is attached to the role of Frank and Joe Pesci will also have a role in the project. It would be the first time the three have worked together since Casino.

Martin also confirms that Steve Zallian will be working on the script. Zallian has written scripts for films like Schindler's List, American Gangster, Gangs of New York and David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo remake. 

While I've been dying to see the much talked about prequel and sequel to the Departed, The Irishman sounds just as thrilling if not more. I'm not sure what this means for the planned roles for both De Niro and Pesci in David O'Russell's Drake's Fortune which will star Mark Wahlberg. I expect The Irishman could end up starting production in late summer or early fall giving the actors enough time to do both films.

Pacino & Pesci Could Join De Niro In Scorsese's Irishman

Deadline reports Al Pacino and Joe Pesci are circling roles in the new Martin Scorsese gangster flick The Irishman. The film is based on the novel I Heard You Paint Houses and has Robert De Niro set in the lead role as a prolific mob hitman. It's beyond exciting for the possiblity of seeing De Niro re-teaming with Joe Pesci, it would be their fourth Scorsese film together (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino). Even more tempting is the chance to finally see Pacino and De Niro work magic together outside of Godfather II and Heat.