When talking about the legendary Hollywood elites that shaped the golden age of cinema and left a legacy behind, there are many names that will come up from different people. And even among those select few, the name of Robert De Niro is bound to be one of the most thought about in the film industry’s list of trailblazers and trendsetters.
Most famous for his dark and gritty personification of stories and narratives, the star had made a name for himself as an impactful performer who could take on any hard-boiled role you could throw at him. And keeping that streak going, he decided to collaborate with filmmaker Martin Scorsese to bring one of the biggest mafia stories to life. However, this deal could’ve also been the demise of the entire project.
Robert De Niro Almost Got The Irishman Scrapped When He Signed This Deal
Having the respect of one of the most prolific film stars of all time for churning out nothing but hit classics like Taxi Driver in his career, Robert De Niro has gotten used to maintaining that streak over the years, which has resulted in some outstanding performances by him in the past. But coming to the more recent times, the best performance by far has been his depiction of Frank Sheeran in Netflix’s The Irishman. And while this movie may be one of his best, there was a certain chance in the past when this film’s existence was in question.
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In a piece about the crime drama film, it was revealed that the aforementioned Martin Scorsese project was a result of De Niro preparing for another film that the legendary filmmaker was going to make for Paramount titled Frankie Machine. When he was prepping for it, he happened to read Charles Brandt’s 2004 novel I Heard You Paint Houses, which became the source for The Irishman. Since both the stories were so similar, he wished it to be made instead of Frankie Machine. De Niro’s producing partner Jane Rosenthal recalled a call they had with then-Paramount Chairman, saying:
“Brad said, ‘All right, so we’re going to make this movie,’ And then you hear Bob say, ‘Well, there’s this other book …’ Brad said, ‘OK, so you’re going to take this greenlight movie and turn it into a development deal? I’m in.’ “
Since the whole project was being switched, it had the potential to be canceled if the conditions didn’t go in their favor. But thankfully, all went as planned, and we received one of the best crime drama films of all time:
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What Was The Irishman About?
In classic Scorsese fashion with his love for the underworld and organized crime, The Irishman tells the tale of a truck driver named Frank Sheeran, who through a series of events, finds himself mixed in the 1950s underworld working for Russell Bufalino, an American-Italian mob boss with his crime syndicate family in Pennsylvania. Along the way, he also gets tangled with Jimmy Hoffa, the man who would later become known for his assassination.
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The Irishman, streaming on Netflix.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
