HE'S JUST GETTIN' WARMED UP! Scorsese Dreams Of Pacino As Sinatra

I’m a big fan of movie projects so nascent that they aren’t even close to being in development yet. That’s when you really get to toy with the idea in your mind. You can cast it. You can pick the writer and the director. You can shoot it in black and white. You can design the costumes. It’s really when the micromanaging producer in every fanboy’s mind goes into overdrive. Like this: How about a Frank Sinatra biopic? Would you like that? Who would you get to play Ol’ Blue Eyes, besides Joe Piscopo? Did you say Al Pacino? No? Well, Martin Scorsese did. From The Hindu:

The conversation veers towards his plans to do a film on the life of Frank Sinatra. “I've had it in mind for a long time. Even the initial script is ready. I'm yet to spot the actor who can bring back Frank Sinatra alive on screen. My choice is Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro as Dean Martin.”

For a very long time, Scorsese was said to be involved in a Dean Martin biopic, but now he’s apparently shifted over to Sinatra (wise move), with this dream cast in mind. Let us now evaluate his choice of dream cast.

PACINO AS SINATRA: I don’t know what to make of Al Pacino anymore. These days, he’s either overacting in crummy B-movies like “88 Minutes,” or he’s giving excellent performances in TV movies like “Angels In America.” The last truly great performance I saw him give was as both himself and Richard III in “Looking for Richard,” which I thought was one of the coolest movies ever. But he’s so much the PACINO persona now, that I have a hard time thinking of him morphing into Frank Sinatra. Speaking of people who can’t get out of their shell…

DE NIRO AS DEAN MARTIN: De Niro has gone from the most respected actor in the world to a wooden actor who’ll happily frown for a paycheck. The last time De Niro did something truly good was “Casino,” which was directed by (you guessed it) Martin Scorsese. So perhaps re-teaming with Scorsese would bring the old De Niro back to the fore. Something tells me he’ll pass it up to star in “Godsend 2.”

There’s also the matter of singing. These are musical roles. Can you picture Pacino or De Niro, great as they once were, as convincing singers? Eh…

Earlier this year, Scorsese was reported to be planning to cast Leonard DiCaprio in the role of Sinatra. It could be that Scorsese is thinking of different actors for different periods, like Todd Haynes did in the Dylan biopic "I'm Not There." DiCaprio and Pacino could work, but Scorsese shouldn't even think about casting a girl in the role, as Haynes did with Cate Blanchett. Doing so would prompt The Chairman to rise from the grave and administer a savage beatdown.

Anyway, someone, one day, will do the definitive Frank Sinatra movie. Hopefully it’ll feature Frank yelling at people to leave his reserved table at the Flamingo. But, as Scorsese says, he’s yet to spot the actor who can bring Sinatra back to life on screen. And I can’t think of one either (except that handsome Brody Jenner!). Maybe James Cameron will reanimate Frank using CGI and he can play himself. Otherwise, this thing will stay a figment in our collective imaginations. Perhaps it’s best left that way.

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