Rain Man’s Barry Levinson will direct Al Pacino and Shia LaBeouf in a new movie about John F. Kennedy, Assassination.
As reported by Deadline, Glengarry Glen Ross writer David Mamet was originally going to co-write and direct Assassination. Mamet and Nicholas Celozzi’s script will still be used for the movie, though Levinson replaces him as director and is now “putting his own stamp on the project,” according to Deadline’s article.
Pacino and Levinson have collaborated a number of times in the past, as the Scarface actor starred in 2010’s You Don’t Know Jack, 2014’s The Humbling, and 2018’s Paterno, all of which were directed by Levinson. Levinson also wrote 1979’s And Justice for All, produced 1997’s Donnie Brasco, and executive produced 2013’s Phil Spector, which all starred Pacino.
Who does Al Pacino play in Assassination?
Pacino will play Tony Accardo, an American mob boss, in Assassination, while LaBeouf’s role has not yet been disclosed. Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Courtney Love were all attached to the project when it was originally announced in May 2023.
Producing the movie are Celozzi, Corey Large, and Jason Sosnoff, while John Burnham and Jordan Nott will serve as executive producers.
Along with directing Rain Man, Levinson is known for making 1984’s The Natural, 1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes, 1987’s Good Morning, Vietnam, 1991’s Bugsy, 1997’s Wag the Dog, and more. He won an Oscar for 1989’s Rain Man and has been nominated for five others throughout his career.
Levinson is also working on another movie, Wise Guys, which stars Robert De Niro in a dual role as mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. Also starring in the movie are Debra Messing, Kathrine Narducci, and Cosmo Jarvis. Wise Guys is currently scheduled to be released on February 2, 2024, by Warner Bros.