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Ray Stevenson is The Irishman

posted 16 years ago by Nomad310
8 replies | jump to latest

Jonathan Hensleigh to direct mob story The Irishman for Code
6 May, 2009 | By Jeremy Kay

Code Entertainment has hired Jonathan Hensleigh to direct the true-life crime story The Irishman starring Ray Stevenson, which Lightning Entertainment will introduce to buyers in Cannes next week. ICM and Jonathan Dana represent North American rights.

Principal photography is set to begin on May 19 in Detroit, Michigan. Stevenson, who recently starred in Punisher: War Zone, will portray the vicious Irish-American gangster Danny Greene, who muscled in on the Italian mob in 1970s Cleveland, Ohio, and caused a cataclysmic upheaval in the American gangster scene.

Christopher Walken will play the loan-shark nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer stars as the Cleveland detective who befriends Greene. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

Code’s Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso will produce along with Dundee Entertainment’s Tommy Reid and Tara Reid, who brought the property to Code. Dana, Peter Miller and Porrello are executive producers.

Hensleigh co-wrote the screenplay with Jeremy Walters inspired by Rick Porrello’s book To Kill The Irishman: The War That Crippled The Mafia. Hensleigh previously directed The Punisher and wrote the screenplays for Die Hard With A Vengeance, Jumanji, Armageddon and Next.

Hensleigh, Walken and Kilmer are represented by ICM. Stevenson is represented by Endeavor.

http://www.screendaily.com/news/jonathan-hensleigh-to-direct-mob-story -the-irishman-for-code/5000850.article

Nomad

[–] Nomad310 16 years ago

Here's THR's announcement, too:

Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer will play the leads in "The Irishman," a crime story that Jonathan Hensleigh will direct.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u235/NomadsPics/The%20Irishman/8257 3-stevenson_walken_kilmer_341.jpg

Code Entertainment is producing the action movie, which is based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene (Stevenson). Hensleigh and Jeremy Walters ("Dali") wrote the script, inspired by the book "To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia" by Rick Porrello.

Greene was a violent Irish-American gangster who competed with the Italian mob in 1970s Cleveland and ended up provoking a countrywide turf war that crippled the mafia. Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns, and Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

Code's Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso are producing, along with Dundee Entertainment's Tommy Reid and Tara Reid, who brought the property to Code. Jonathan Dana, Peter Miller and Porrello are exec producers, with George Perez serving as co-producer.

The production has also hired cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub, production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein and editor Douglas Crise. Principal photography begins May 19 in Detroit.

Lightning Entertainment will shop the project to international buyers at Cannes, while ICM and Dana handle domestic sales.

The ICM-repped Hensleigh co-wrote and directed "The Punisher." The writer or co-writer of "Die Hard With a Vengeance" and "Jumanji" has the crime story "Nine Lives" in development with Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

Walken and Kilmer are repped by ICM and Affirmative Entertainment. Stevenson is repped by Endeavor.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i9e2018c9ba 716c85507f8bbdd64bcebc

Nomad

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Ajm57 16 years ago

What I don't like about this is the fact that Hensleigh is directing. And nice to see you still kicking around, Nomad:P I will have to wait and see some trailers and stuff for this. I've become a big fan of Ray's after watching Rome and Punisher.

[–] carlito254 16 years ago

Superstoked about this film!

[–] Nomad310 16 years ago

You know, AJ, this has been a lesson! Small world, and all. Hensleigh's been in "directors' jail" for almost 5 years now. He's paid his debt to society. So maybe it's time he came back. He's going to make like the phoenix and be re-born. This town is sort of known for that! And he's assembled a highly talented team; the DP, production designer, editor are all top drawer, with more to come, I'm sure.

Not to mention the actors!

Nomad

P.S. Nice to see you around, too, AJ!

[–] carolefun904 16 years ago

Someone please tell me why they didn't film this in Cleveland? Did they even scout the city where this actually played out? There are places that still look exactly the same. In fact the same cars are still on the same streets with the tires stolen!

[–] Nomad310 16 years ago

Film companies go where the tax credits and other financial incentives are. Apparently Michigan does that better than Ohio.

Nomad

[–] ltochtenhagen 16 years ago

That's what I figured. I wish Ohio offered similar incentives, so we could get some cool films made here.