Robert De Niro's "Wise Guys" Gets New Title & Release Date

Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro's mob movie "Wise Guys" has a new release date and a new title. 

The Barry Levinson-directed project, now called "Alto Knights", has been pushed back from its original release date of February 2, 2024, to November 15, 2024.

The new title is derived from the Alto Knights Social Club, a club in New York's Little Italy that was a frequent hangout for the Mafia. 

The movie is centered around the rivalry between New York mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese in the 1940s and 50s. 

In an unusual casting gambit, De Niro will play both feuding mobsters in a dual role. Debra Messing and Kathrine Narducci will play Costello and Genovese's respective wives. 

Who were Frank Costello and Vito Genovese? 

Frank Costello and Vito Genovese were both underlings of legendary New York gangster Charlie "Lucky" Luciano. 

When Luciano was sent to jail, Genovese ruled his syndicate in his stead - only to flee to Italy to avoid prosecution, leaving Costello to take over. Genovese eventually returned and the two men jockeyed for control of the New York Mafia for years. 

Eventually, in 1957, Genovese ordered a hit on Costello; Costello escaped with a minor wound, but retired from organized crime afterward, ceding control of the city to Genovese. However, Genovese's victory was short-lived; in 1959, he was convicted on drug charges and sent to prison, where he died ten years later.