Mann and MACHINE
Michael Mann's directorial career continues to intertwine with Martin Scorsese, this time Mann takes on Frankie Machine.
Variety reports that Michael Mann has closed a deal with Paramount to direct Frankie Machine, a film based on Don Winslow's novel The Winter of Frankie Machine. Now here's the cool part: Robert De Niro will take the lead role of Frankie Machianno, which makes this a reunion of a kind since Mann last worked with Bobby in crime epic Heat. The trade papers give the follwoing plot description:
"...A mob hitman who has retired to run a bait shop. He agrees to help the son of a mob boss resolve a dispute with another Mafioso but is forced to turn into Frankie Machine again when he realizes he's been set up to be killed. "De Niro has been attached to the Brian Koppelman / David Levien draft for a while and at one point Martin Scorsese was going to make this film. Once upon a time Mann was going to direct The Aviator but he ceded the director's chair to Scorsese, so it's interesting how the roles are now reversed. source - variety