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| John Woo and Nicolas CageGetty Images |
“It’s like looking in a mirror, only” … 30 years later. Almost three decades after they graced screens with wild action pic Face/Off, movie legends John Woo and Nicolas Cage are teaming up again on crime biopic Gambino about notorious New York crime kingpin Carlo Gambino.
George Gallo (Bad Boys franchise) and Oscar winner Nick Vallelonga (Green Book) have scripted the project, which WME Independent is launching for sales at this week’s American Film Market.
The movie will follow Oscar winner Cage’s Carlo Gambino, a butcher’s son from Sicily, who rules New York’s underworld with quiet authority. But when his death sends shockwaves through the city, Pulitzer-winning journalist Jimmy Breslin follows the trail he left behind to uncover the man beneath the legend. Through the voices of those who loved him and those who feared him, Breslin peels back the composure that masked Gambino’s ruthlessness, revealing how this outsider rose to redefine power, loyalty and the American dream.
Gambino was one of the most notorious figures in organized crime in America last century. The Sicilian boss was leader and namesake of the Gambino crime family of New York, playing a powerful role in mob matters for more than 50 years until his death in 1976.
Gambino was revealed a few years ago but has been totally retooled with director Woo, star Cage, seller WME and new producers and financiers.
Mudbound and The Butler producer Cassian Elwes now is producing with Edward Zeng (Following Harry) of NextG Films, Robert Daly Jr and David Lipper of Latigo Films (Not Without Hope). NextG Films is financing. Cage, Gallo and Vallelonga also will produce. John Burnham is an executive producer along with Ken Atchity, who developed the novel with James Pierre, published it through his Story Merchant Books, and initiated the project.
Industry vet Elwes and Chinese tech entrepreneur and NextG founder Edward Zeng last year launched a $100M fund to invest in movies.
“At NextG Film, our vision is to unite the finest creative talents of Hollywood with the bold entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley,” Zeng said. “Together, we aim to deliver an epic cinematic experience that brings audiences back to the theater again and again — an experience that not only entertains, but inspires people to reflect on the world we live in today. Humanity stands at a crossroads. Through powerful storytelling and innovative artistry, we hope to remind everyone that the future is ours to shape, and it is our shared responsibility to make it better.”
Face/Off wasn’t the last time Woo and Cage teamed up. They in fact worked together in 2002 on WWII pic Windtalkers. So it’s 23 years since their last rodeo.
Action supremo Woo, master of the “bullet ballet,” is known for such iconic movies as The Killer and Hard Boiled as well as Hollywood pics Hard Target, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible II. He most recently remade The Killer for Peacock with Omar Sy, Sam Worthington and Nathalie Emmanuel.
Leaving Las Vegas Oscar winner Cage made waves last year with horror Longlegs and has Spider-Noir, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and John Madden biopic Madden in production. He’s also aiming to film the Lords of War sequel soon.
In a fun twist, Cage’s Face/Off co-star John Travolta previously played another Gambino boss, John Gotti, in a 2018 biopic.
Cage is represented by WME, Stride Management and Patrick Knapp at GGSSC. John Woo is represented by IAG, Burnham at Atlas Artists and Tom Hansen and Stuart Bookman at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.
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