I Heard You Paint Houses
Excerpted from http://www.movies.ie/html/article.aspx?articleid=3178 He would love to work with Scorsese again, the pair have a couple of projects under wraps. "Yes, we have one project in particular that we want to do. We've done eight movies together and I'd like to do another couple with him, at the very least. We're going to do this project in a year or two. I'm superstitious about talking about it, but it's supposed to be happening. Marty listens. He's open to unexpected things on that - this is a flowery way of saying it - on that voyage. He takes ideas, and he's not afraid to try them."

Hey Guys ! I've already bought my ticket !

I Heard You Paint Houses
Guess this is one of the projects :) From Variety: Paramount Pictures is plotting a return to organized crime for Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Studio has set Steve Zaillian to adapt "I Heard You Paint Houses," the book about the mob assassin who many believe was involved in the death of Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa. Scorsese is attached to direct. De Niro will play Frank "the Irishman" Sheeran, who is reputed to have carried out more than 25 mob murders. Pic will be produced by Scorsese and Tribeca partners De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. Project landed at Paramount through the overall deal that the studio has with Scorsese’s Sikelia Prods. Pic’s title refers to mob slang for contract killings, and the resulting blood splatter on walls and floors. Book was written by Charles Brandt, who befriended Sheeran shortly before the latter’s death in 2003. Among the crimes Sheeran confessed to Brandt, according to the 2004 book, was the killing and dismemberment of Hoffa, carried out on orders from mob boss Russell Bufalino. Zaillian most recently scripted the Frank Lucas crime saga "American Gangster" and was a co-writer of the Scorsese-directed "Gangs of New York." Scorsese also brought in Zaillian to script "Schindler’s List," before turning over the project to Steven Spielberg and instead directing De Niro in "Cape Fear." Zaillian won an Oscar for his "Schindler’s List" script. Scorsese just completed a screen adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel "Shutter Island" for Paramount with Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s in the midst of settling on his next directing project, with "Silence," "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "The Long Play" at the top of his list. De Niro has wrapped the Kirk Jones-directed "Everybody’s Fine" with Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale and Drew Barrymore. He’s also plotting a re-team with "Heat" director Michael Mann on "Frankie Machine," an adaptation of the Don Winslow novel that is also at Paramount. But it might not be the next one in line...

Thanks, Will. But would De Niro really want to do two hitman movies?

And both called Frank... It seems, though, that Paint Houses would be more about "the hitman years", since Frankie Machine has retired and is just busy being chased and hidden. It was kind of expected that a pure Paramount film would be announced. It has been two years (?) since he made the deal with them, and they haven't gotten much in return.

Only a question. When Mr. Scorsese will re-start to direct interesting personal movies (like Silence) instead of this boooooring studio's stuff?

While everyone wants to see De Niro and Scorsese collaborate for nostalgic reasons, the facts are that Scorsese has more intersting films in production. And also sadly, although I believe Scorsese continues to grow as a filmmaker, De Niro has sadly fallen behind. Surely The Long Play, Wolf of Wall Street and especially Silence are more tempting than this picture about an aging hitman. My only solace is that these rewports usually turn out to be fake anyway and hopefully like with FRankie Machine, Scorsese will pull out. I think this proves just how difficult it still is for Scorsese to make the films he TRULY wants to make. He's been talking Silence up for a while and I guess studios arent ready to committ.

Completely agree, LeoneVsScorsese.

Here's a bit more from the author, Charles Brandt, from Delaware Online: Brandt, who splits his time between homes in Lewes and Idaho, says he wanted Scor-sese and De Niro on board not only because of their undisputed talents, but because he also knew that they would understand Sheeran. "I didn't want someone to paint Frank Sheeran as an ordinary thug. Frank Sheeran was a very complicated man with a conscience. And that's the only reason I even have a book," says Brandt, who interviewed Sheeran many times before his death. A tentative 2011 release date has been attached to the film. At first, Brandt was in talks with Matt Dillon who wanted to direct and star in a film version. There was also interest by Emmy-winning writer David E. Kelly, who created shows like "Ally McBeal," "Chicago Hope," "The Practice" and "Boston Legal." So how did Scorsese and De Niro get involved? It started with Fox News reporter Eric Shawn who had done a story about Brandt's book when it was released. One of Shawn's neighbors was Barbara De Fina, Scor-sese's collaborator and ex-wife. De Fina, who produced Scorsese/De Niro films like "Goodfellas," "Cape Fear" and "Casino," got a copy of the book from Shawn, and a meeting was set up between De Fina and Brandt at Shawn's Manhattan apartment over plates of takeout Chinese food. "She asked all the right questions that makes you know that something could come of this," says Brandt, 66. "I thought Scorsese would be it for a book like this." However, about three years went by before he heard back from De Fina. And just as Brandt was toying with the idea of optioning the book to Warner Bros. last summer, De Niro's production company, Tribeca Productions, called. Discussions and negotiations dominated the past year. Brandt found out it was a deal when he got an e-mail from his publisher earlier this month, which included a link to a Variety article. "I woke up, turned on my laptop and there was the e-mail," he says. "That was the finish line for me. Remember, my first interview with Sheeran was back in 1991." Brandt hopes he'll get to meet with De Niro as a technical adviser, helping to pass along Sheeran's mannerisms, and he thinks Scorsese should film some scenes in Delaware. "That was Sheeran's home base," Brandt says. "He was our gangster." Either way, Brandt is happy Sheeran's story will be told by some of the best Hollywood has to offer. "I'm just so thrilled, I can't even tell you," he says. "And now that my family is having grandchildren, I tell my kids, 'Uncle Marty and Uncle Bobby are going to buy us an addition for our house in Lewes.'" Has anyone read the book yet?

De Niro speaks
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=VCa4Dmb1alg De Niro talking about he and Scorsese making I Heard You Paint Houses and also another film he claims is connected to it. Is it Frankie Machine or the Neighborhood drama we've heard about the two growing up in New York? He even drops Eric Roth's name as a screewriter for that film. Anyway, ENJOY!!! Good news with this is they say its not goin to be straight away, meaning that hopefully Scorsese will get to make Silence, Wolf of Wall Street and possibly the Long Play.

Thank you :) The one project that DeNiro has talked about doing with Roth is a sort of sequel to the Good Shepherd. Not knowing much about Hoffa's story, I can't say whether CIA was involved, which would perhaps make the two films connect slightly. Roth also has an adaptation of "A Cold Case", but Mark Romanek's directing it. In other words... wish I knew what the second film is. :D

Re: De Niro speaks
De Niro has talked about doing another film with Roth. Is it Frankie Machine or the Neighborhood drama we've heard about the two growing up in New York? He even drops Eric Roth's name as a screewriter for that film. Probably The Neighborhood, as was mentioned forumer.com/viewtopic.php?p=13610&#13610>here.

Ah, thanks! I'm relieved...