Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson is stepping in to direct David Mamet's thriller movie "Assassination", and is putting his own stamp on the project.
The pic was first reported about the movie out of Cannes, with two-time Oscar nominee and Pulitzer Prize winner Mamet originally set to direct the movie.
"Assassination" retells the fateful murder of John F. Kennedy from the mob’s perspective and whose death was a hit ordered by Chicago mob kingpin Sam Giancana as payback for JFK’s attempt to undermine the mob after they helped get him elected (that thread formed a big part of Oliver Stone’s JFK).
BAFTA winner Shia LaBeouf and Oscar winner Al Pacino remain attached to the movie, the latter playing Tony Accardo, a senior mob boss.
The pic is being produced by Corey Large (It Follows), Jason Sosnoff (Wise Guys) and Giancana’s grandnephew Nicholas Celozzi (The Class).
Executive producers are John Burnham (Atlas Artists) and Jordan Nott. Finance comes from 308 Enterprises. WME, Novo Entertainment, and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman represent Levinson.
Levinson and Mamet’s previous collaborations were the Oscar-nominated 1997 comedy "Wag the Dog", which the former directed and the latter co-wrote, as well as the 2013 HBO movie "Phil Spector", which Mamet wrote and directed and Levinson EP’ed.
Levinson previously directed Pacino in three movies: "Paterno", "You Don’t Know Jack", and "The Humbling".
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