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Al Pacino, Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Shia LaBeouf and Courtney Love to Star in New David Mamet Movie About JFK Assassination

Two-time Oscar nominee David Mamet (The Verdict, Wag the Dog) has lined up a hell of a cast for his next feature, Assassination, which will examine President John F. Kennedy‘s murder from the mob’s point of view.

Oscar winner Al Pacino will star alongside Oscar nominees Viggo Mortensen and John Travolta, and they’ll be joined by firecrackers Shia LaBeouf and Courtney Love, both of whom are looking to mount Hollywood comebacks, as well as Mamet’s wife, actress Rebecca Pidgeon.

Assassination will reimagine JFK’s death as a hit that was ordered by Chicago mob kingpin Sam Giancana in retaliation for the President’s attempt to undermine the mob after they helped get him elected.

Mamet will direct from a script he co-wrote with Nicholas Celozzi, who happens to be Giancana’s grandnephew, so perhaps he has some new details to share about that fateful day, which has been chronicled ad nauseam in both film and television.

Assassination cast
Al Pacino in Hunters/Prime Video; Viggo Mortensen in Green Book/Universal Pictures; Shia LaBeouf in Honey Boy/Prime Video; John Travolta in Gotti/Vertical Entertainment

Celozzi will also produce the film alongside Corey Large (It Follows), and executive producers include John Burnham, Jordan Nott, Bernie Gewissler, and Amar Balaggan, as well as Gary Hamilton and Pia Patatian of Arclight Films, which will begin shopping the project at this week’s Cannes Film Market.

Oscar-winning DP Robert Elswitt (There Will Be Blood) will serve as the film’s cinematographer, and production is slated to start in September in Vancouver, with financing provided by 308 Enterprises.

“With the undeniable talent of David Mamet at the helm and our stellar cast led by Viggo Mortensen, Al Pacino, Shia LaBeouf, and John Travolta, the stars have truly aligned. Assassination is a riveting and gripping thriller set in a pivotal period in American history, brilliantly crafted by Mamet — it’s an absolutely fantastic project,” Hamilton, the chairman of Arclight Films, said in a statement.

Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize for writing Glengarry Glen Ross and his screenwriting credits include The Untouchables and Hoffa, so he’s well-versed in this macho genre, and I’m very curious to see his take on Kennedy’s tragic murder, especially with this kind of all-star cast at his disposal.

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