Robert De Niro is still trying to make The Comedian and has a new director for the project, which has been in the works for years.
Deadline reported on Tuesday that Taylor Hackford, who directed Jamie Foxx to an Oscar in Ray, will direct the film. Hackford’s more recent films include Parker with Jason Statham and Love Ranch with Helen Mirren.
The Comedian will find De Niro as an insult comedian who is stuck doing community service after hitting an audience member with a microphone. In October 2011, Sean Penn was actually set to direct and Kristen Wiig was set to co-star. In May, the film lost another director, since Donnie Brasco’s Mike Newell had scheduling conflicts, notes Entertainment Weekly.
The jokes in The Comedian were written by comedian Jeff Ross, who is best known for his Comedy Central Roast appearances. Filming is set to start in January in New York and Cinelou, which financed Jennifer Aniston’s Cake, is financing.
De Niro will next be seen in The Intern with Anne Hathaway on Sept. 25 and in David O. Russell’s Joy on Christmas Day. He last played a comedian (or at least, a wannabe comedian) in Martin Scorsese’s cult classic The King of Comedy.
for more movie news, follow Daniel on Twitter
image courtesy of Kristin Callahan/ACE/INFphoto.com