Martin Scorsese's long-awaited movie with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino has a shooting start date
And though they are always talking about working together again, De Niro has not starred in a Scorsese movie since 1995's "Casino."
Finally, it looks like that will change.
In an interview with Variety, Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti - who has worked on numerous Scorsese projects including the most recent, "Silence" - said that the long-awaited crime movie "The Irishman," which would not just re-team Scorsese and De Niro but will also star Al Pacino, could begin shooting early next year.
"I never say, 'I'm going to do this or that' until it's signed," Ferretti said. "Theoretically we've talked about shooting this film next year in February or March."
"The Irishman" is an adaptation of the Charles Brandy book "I Heard You Paint Houses," which looks at hitman Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, who allegedly told Brandy for the book that he killed Jimmy Hoffa.
The film is also set to star Scorsese regulars Harvey Keitel and Joe Pesci.
According to its IMDb page, De Niro will play Sheeran and Pacino will play Hoffa, but currently there's no confirmation of that particular casting.
Scorsese and De Niro have been wanting to make the project for years. When I interviewed De Niro in 2011, I brought it up, and he said it all came down to finding a time when his and Scorsese's schedules were open.
STX Entertainment bought international rights to the film during this year's Cannes Film Festival for a reported $50 million, and since then news on the project has been quiet, outside of a hint that Pesci may not be in the film.
Business Insider asked Adam Fogelson, head of STX Entertainment's movie division, in August if Pesci had signed on and he answered, "I cannot report that that has happened as of yet. But [the movie] is coming together in a way that people will be very excited to join it."
STX Entertainment did not immediately reply to Business Insider about confirmation on the start date of "The Irishman."