Barry Levinson’s John F. Kennedy mystery conspiracy thriller “Assassination” just got a massive injection of talent. Already starring Levinson mainstay Al Pacino, joining what now feels like an all-star ensemble is Academy Award–winner Jessica Chastain (“Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Interstellar”), Academy Award-winner Brendan Fraser (“The Whale,” “Killers of the Flower Moon)”, and Academy Award-nominee Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad,” “Trumbo”). Directed by the award-winning Levinson (“Rain Man,” “Bugsy”), “Assassination” comes from a script by David Mamet, with Levinson and Sam Bromell (“Elvis”).
READ MORE: Jessica Chastain & Al Pacino To Star In New’ Lear, Rex’ Shakespeare Adaptation
“Assassination” reveals a new take on the JFK conspiracy, centering around Dorothy Kilgallen, one of the most famous voices in media at the time. When Dorothy suspects that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone, she uses her fame and influence to find the real killer of JFK. Part murder mystery, part film noir, Dorothy’s journey will put her up against the CIA, Mafia bosses, and the FBI, all who would love nothing more than to make her and this story disappear.
Production is set to begin in early 2025 in Boston, MA.
When first reported on, the film was said to tell the story of infamous Chicago mobster Sam Giancana arranging the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as payback for trying to bring down organized crime after the mob helped put JFK in the White House. And Pacino would play a senior mob boss.
But now it sounds like that story is being told through the lens of Dorothy Kilgallen, who will clearly be played by Chastain, even though that’s not specified upfront.
“Dorothy Kilgallen was the first female crime reporter in America. She was the only woman to ever cover the JFK case—the only reporter to speak with Jack Ruby. With back-channel sources to the Warren Commission, she started putting pieces together that no one else did. She died under very suspicious circumstances, but it was never investigated,” Levinson said in a statement.
Shia LaBeouf, Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Courtney Love were once attached to the project when Mamet was originally supposed to direct it. That version fell apart, Levinson took over, and Pacino is the only original cast member staying on board.
Levinson has worked with Pacino many times in the last 15-odd years, including the HBO Films Paterno, You Don’t Know Jack, and The Humbling. His next film, Alto Knights, for Warner Brothers Pictures, is about the legendary mob boss who brought down the American mafia. It stars Robert De Niro and comes out in 2025. Levinson is the recipient of the WGA’s Laurel Award for Screen, honoring a lifetime achievement in outstanding writing for motion pictures.
Pacino gave Chastain her start in a stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s tragedy “Salomé,” which also became the first film she shot but didn’t come out until 2014. The pair are also planning to star alongside each other in “Lear, Rex,” a new big-screen Shakespeare adaptation of “King Lear” for filmmaker Bernard Rose (“Immortal Beloved”).
