Robert De Niro may be stepping into the slimy shoes of the snake-like ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff for a new HBO made-for-TV movie.
The cable network has picked up the rights to the book The Wizard Of Lies: Bernie Madoff And The Death Of Trust, written by Diane Henrique, which hit shelves last month and focuses on the financial wunderkind who bilked millions from unsuspecting investors.
De Niro and his Tribeca Productions partner-in-crime Jane Rosethal will produce what is expected to be a starring vehicle for him. There's certainly enough resemblance between the two men to make the casting seem like a no-brainer. And if De Niro can escape the ennui that has left some of his recent performances (uh, Little Fockers) feeling like paint-by-numbers exercises, he could actually make the role come to life.
With the same ripped-from-the-headlines spirit in mind, HBO has Too Big To Fail, a film about the 2008 financial crisis, set to premiere on May 23. The network is also currently in production on Game Change, which features Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in a story about the 2008 presidential election.
[Via Deadline]
