Robert De Niro is being eyed for the lead role in an upcoming film titled Gambling Man, based on Gary Green’s biography of the same name. In a plot that sounds quite similar to Casino, the story follows the personal escapades of Green, himself a famous casino boss, “through the history of the casino world from the last days of Meyer Lansky to his adventures as a Donald Trump Vice President.” Currently, the project has no writer or director attached and the rights have only just recently been acquired.
Coming off the dreadful Grudge Match, De Niro could use a solid role like this. He isn’t the actor that he once was and despite doing some good work in David O. Russell’s last two films (Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle), it seems that more often than not he chooses crummy projects that are just plain awful and in some cases, even laughable.
A return to the world of casinos would be a welcome one for De Niro and I think that putting him in the lead role of a film like this could definitely do wonders for his now struggling career. No one is denying the fact that he’s still an icon of acting and one of the greatest of all time, but it’s hard to argue against the fact that he hasn’t been producing very compelling work lately. And by lately, I mean the last 15 years or so.
Tell us, do you want to see Robert De Niro headline Gambling Man? Let us know in the comments section below.
