LOS ANGELES — Hollywood legend Robert De Niro has been signed for 'The Whisper
Man'. The film is an adaptation of Alex North's crime thriller novel.
James Ashcroft is set to direct the film with Ben Jacoby
and Chase Palmer adapting the screenplay, reports 'Female First UK'.
'The Whisper Man' tells the story of a widowed crime
writer who, when his eight-year-old son is abducted, looks to his estranged
father - a retired former police detective - for assistance. However, they
discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer
known as 'The Whisper Man'.
As per 'Female First UK', Anthony Russo, Joe Russo,
Angela Russo-Otstot and Michael Disco are to produce for AGBO for what marks
the sixth picture in the company's partnership with Netflix. Production on the
flick is expected to start this spring.
Russo-Otstot, AGBO's chief creative officer, said,
"AGBO is excited to be embarking on our 6th film with our incredible
partners at Netflix. 'The Whisper Man' is a gripping thriller but at its core
is a poignant and complex story of father and sons. We are grateful to have one
of the finest actors of his generation, Robert De Niro, anchoring that story
and with the remarkable James Ashcroft directing".
Robert De Niro has previously collaborated with legendary
director Martin Scorsese on 10 movies and the 'Killers of the Flower Moon'
filmmaker says his relationship with the actor is built on "trust and
love" that dates back to their upbringing.
Scorsese told HeyUGuys.com, "In the case of Robert
De Niro, we were teenagers together, and he's the only one who really knows
where I come from, the people I knew, and that sort of thing. Some of them
still alive, he knows them".
"I know his friends, his old friends, and we had a
real testing ground in the 70s, where we tried everything and we found that,
you know, we trusted each other. It's all about trust and love. It's what it
is", he added.
Scorsese has worked with De Niro on classic films such as
'Taxi Driver' and 'Goodfellas' and explained how the star has never "taken
over" any of his projects.
The filmmaker said, "And that's a big deal, because
very often if an actor has a lot of power, and he had a lot of power at that
time, an actor could take over your picture. I never felt that".
Scorsese also revealed that De Niro recommended that he
work with Leonardo DiCaprio, who has also become one of his regular
collaborators.
He recalled, "Years later, he told me he worked with
this kid, Leo DiCaprio, a little boy, in 'This Boy's Life', and he said, 'You
should work with this kid sometime'.
"It was just casual. But within a line, something
like that, a recommendation at the time, I think in the early 90s, is not
casual. He rarely gave recommendations" he added.
