The David Mamet-scripted film Assassination is set to be directed by Barry Levinson, with Al Pacino and Shia LaBeouf on board.
The 1963 assassination of US president John F Kennedy has bought us some powerful cinema over the years, from Oliver Stone’s hard-hitting JFK to the more fanciful alternate timeline tales such as the TV adaptation of Stephen King’s 11.22.63. It’s a moment of American history that continues to inspire artists, who’ve returned to the era throughout the decades as they seek to make sense of its enduring effect on America’s collective psyche.
According to Deadline, Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Good Morning, Vietnam) is set to bring a version of the story to life next with Assassination.
Assassination’s script by David Mamet, the writer behind a series of classic 90s films including Glengarry, Glen Ross and Wag The Dog (the latter also directed by Levinson). Deadline reports that Mamet was originally set to direct, but now Levinson has been appointed to the hot seat, a filmmaker who needs little introduction. Although like Mamet, the frequency of his work has dwindled somewhat in recent years (Levinson is 81; Mamet is 75).
Podcast: JFK (1991) and 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Levinson is apparently retooling the project to his own tastes, but the film will tell ‘the story of how infamous Chicago mobster Sam Giancana arranged the assassination of President John F Kennedy as payback for trying to bring down organised crime after the mob helped put JFK in the White House.’
The cast isn’t half bad too, with Deadline stating that Al Pacino is set to play the aforementioned mob boss, Giancana, while Shia LaBeouf is also attached. With those names involved (not to mention the interesting subject matter) Assassination is most definitely a project of interest and we’ll bring you more updates as we hear them.
Image: Al Pacino
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