Al Pacino Returns to Mobster Genre with Movie "Captivated"

Hollywood icon Al Pacino is making his comeback to the world of gangsters with the thriller movie “Captivated”, based on the true story of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. 

Katie Holmes and Toby Kebbell (War For The Planet Of The Apes) also star in the pic, which the International Film Trust is launching for sales in Cannes. 

Pacino joins Katie Holmes (Woman In Gold) and Toby Kebbell (War For The Planet Of The Apes) in yet another adaptation of the famous kidnapping. In 2017, Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World" tackled the same event. 

“Captivated” focuses on Calabrian mafia boss Saro (Kebbell, and in the present day, Pacino) who kidnaps the grandson of one of the world’s richest men, Jean Paul Getty and endangers his entire organization when he falls in love with his victim’s mother (Holmes) during the fraught ransom negotiations.

Producers are Michael Benaroya, Michael Mammoliti and Manasvi Mamgai of 32RED Entertainment, and Andrea Bucko of Sugar Rush Pictures.

Mammoliti is the nephew of Saro Mammoliti, one of the main kidnappers, and has been working on a project about the events for years, even taking the issue back in 2017 with the narrative of the movie "All The Money In The World". 

The events and motivations around the 1973 kidnapping have been much dissected and disputed over the decades. Mammoliti recollects that his uncle grew to have amorous feelings towards his victim’s mother, Abigail Harris, and is now exploring that suggestion for the first time in "Captivated".

Joey Stanton and Nick de Graffenreid serve as executive producers. Principal photography is set to start later this winter in Italy. Dito Montiel (Man Down) is directing from the script he co-wrote with Robin Shushan and Mammoliti.

IFT and 32RED Entertainment are financing alongside Sugar Rush Pictures. Benaroya’s sales agency, International Film Trust (IFT), is representing worldwide rights and Sales President, Christian de Gallegos, is on the ground in Cannes introducing the package at the Marché du Film this week.

“Captivated has all the ingredients of a great film, a fantastic script, stellar cast, and visionary director, Benaroya Pictures CEO and IFT Founder Michael Benaroya said, “We couldn’t be more excited to have it on our slate.”

Mammoliti added: “Our goal is to give a voice to a person who’s had none for 50+ years, and tell a side of this story no one knows.”

The history of cinema can't be told without Pacino. Specifically, it cannot be told without the acclaimed star's gangster movies. Whether "The Godfather" franchise, "Scarface", and more recently, "The Irishman", Pacino just captivates the screen whenever he's in one. 

Pacino is linked to one of the most quoted lines of dialogue in cinema history, with his delivery of "Say hello to my little friend!" in Scarface. Pacino's legacy is etched in the gangster film, which makes his casting in "Captivated" a no-brainer.