IDOL'S EYE: Robert Pattinson's character revealed and Rachel Weisz in talks to join the cast!
A fan sent us a link to Hillel Levin's blog where he talked about the casting of Rob and Robert De Niro. Levin is the author of the article, Boosting the Big Tuna, that inspires the film.
From HillelLevin.com:
Big news for this project out of Cannes, where director Olivier Assayas released his latest film, Clouds of Sils Maria. He will next work on Idol's Eye, a movie based on my April 2007 article for Playboy called, "Boosting the Big Tuna." The story is about burglars who break into the home of Chicago's longtime Godfather, Tony Accardo. Robert Pattinson will play the burglar ringleader, who is based on John Mendell--a freelance "juice man" or "wire man" capable of overcoming the most sophisticated burglar alarms, but also the proprietor of a machine shop who was desperate to go "legit." De Niro will play Accardo, who ruled Chicago's mob for five decades. Despite the fact that he's hardly a household name, I would argue that Accardo was America's most important organized crime figure in the twentieth century. He not only influenced politics in the Windy City, but also corrupted wide swaths of the union movement (e.g. Teamsters and Laborers), and probably did more to build the Las Vegas Strip (mostly with Teamster pension funds) than anyone else. He features prominently in my play, "Assassination Theater." By the time of the burglary, he had become practically an establishment figure in Chicago--unusually accessible to the neighbors in his wealthy suburb, courtly to the power elite, with whom he occasionally rubbed shoulders, but still bone-chillingly ruthless with anyone who crossed his path in the criminal world--as Mendell eventually found out. It will be fascinating to see De Niro's approach to the part. One funny note: the dispute between Accardo and Mendell centers on the burglary of a high-end pawn shop. Somehow, in the mix of accents at Cannes, "pawn" got turned into "porn." I hope the reality here does not disappoint.HAHA!
Ok back to serious talk. This is CRAZY exciting. I've been vibrating from the excitement since yesterday and it just keeps getting better! You can google Rob's character name (click HERE to see picture) if you want to know his story but know there will be spoilers since it's historical fact out there.
As you already know, Robert De Niro casting news broke yesterday. Today, it looks like Rachel Weisz will be joining the Roberts!
From Variety:
Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz is in negotiations to join Robert Pattinson and Robert De Niro for Olivier Assayas’ sprawling Chicago-set gangster drama “Idol’s Eye,” which is due to start shooting in the fall.Rob was supposed to be with Rachel in Unbound Captives...then Maps To The Stars....is Idol's Eye third times the charm? We can not WAIT for this movie. It's looking to be a HUGE deal. :))))
Charles Gillibert at Paris-based CG Cinema is lead-producing the film with American partners Benaroya Pictures, which is financing and producing, as well as Bluegrass Films’ Scott Stuber, Film 360’s Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan and Michael Benaroya. Ben Sachs is exec producing for Benaroya Pictures.
Previously titled “Hubris,” the project is based on a 2007 Playboy article called “Boosting The Big Tuna” by Hillel Levin. It follows a group of thieves who rob a man who turns out to be Chicago mafia boss Tony Accardo.
Script is penned by Assayas, who won a Golden Globe for “Carlos the Jackal,” his mini-series starring Edgar Ramirez as Venezuelan revolutionary Ilich Ramirez Sanchez.
International Film Trust, the outfit topped by Christian De Gallegos and launched last year by Benaroya and Miscellaneous Entertainment, is repping foreign sales on “Idol’s Eye.”
CAA, which arranged financing, will represent domestic rights along with WME.
Weisz is repped by Independent Talent Group, CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Assayas’ latest film, “Clouds of Sils Maria,” produced by Gillibert’s CG Cinema, competed at Cannes.
Follow updates on the film on our account, @IdolsEyeTheFilm!
Posts
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
