Before Don Winslow’s novel The Winter of Frankie Machine came out, the movie rights were gone. Robert De Niro read the book and was in love with it.
So much so that he bought the rights and decided to play a type of character he said he would never again play: A mob guy.
Now, Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese will direct. This will be Scorsese and De Niro’s ninth film together.
“Frank Machianno, aka Frankie Machine, retires from his life as a contract killer and begins a new life in San Diego. Far removed from any of the thrills of his mob life, he opens a bait shack on Ocean Beach Pier, runs three other legit businesses, and when nothing else demands his attention, puts his board in the water and rides the waves. Not a bad life for the 62-year-old Vietnam vet; at least most of the time it is quiet. Frankie’s life however returns to the tension, suspense and terror of the ‘old-days’ when the head of the Los Angeles syndicate calls in a marker, and asks him for backup during a meeting with members of the Detroit mob. The meeting is suppose to be an effort to resolve the current disputes between the two groups, but turns out to be a setup to end Frankie’s life.”
I am jacked for this one. The novel is fantastic and, with De Niro and Marty, the movie should absolutely rock!
This makes up for the complete meltdown of Bobby Z.
