Return of the Wiseguys

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have been quietly working on their first collaboration since Casino way back from 1995 in The Irishman. Adapted by Steve Zaillian, it's based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses and chronicles real life mob hitman Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran.

Here's the description of the book from Amazon:

"'I heard you paint houses' are the first words Jimmy Hoffa ever spoke to Frank 'the Irishman' Sheeran. To paint a house is to kill a man. The paint is the blood that splatters on the walls and floors. In the course of nearly five years of recorded interviews Frank Sheeran confessed to Charles Brandt that he handled more than twenty-five hits for the mob, and for his friend Hoffa. Sheeran learned to kill in the U.S. Army, where he saw an astonishing 411 days of active combat duty in Italy during World War II. After returning home he became a hustler and hit man, working for legendary crime boss Russell Bufalino. Eventually he would rise to a position of such prominence that in a RICO suit then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani would name him as one of only two non-Italians on a list of 26 top mob figures. When Bufalino ordered Sheeran to kill Hoffa, he did the deed, knowing that if he had refused he would have been killed himself. Sheeran's important and fascinating story includes new information on other famous murders, and provides rare insight to a chapter in American history. Charles Brandt has written a page-turner that is destined to become a true crime classic."

It'd be great to see one of the all-time great director/actor duos together again – especially if they have something new to say about a genre they’re both simpatico with.

"TOLDJA" reports in a big kick in the pants to get Irishman more interest from us nerds, if there wasn't enough already. Word has reached their ears Al Pacino (who surprisingly has never worked with Scorsese) and Joe Pesci are both said to be circling the project.

No telling if this indeed will be Scorsese's next though. He's in the middle of filming Hugo Cabret for next Christmas and he's attached to plenty of other projects. But shit would I love to see this happen. If for no other reason than see De Niro not phoning it in, Pacino dialing it back acting-wise and just seeing more of Pesci in general. God only knows how much longer we have to enjoy Scorsese's work to boot.