Al Pacino, Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Shia LaBeouf, Rebecca Pidgeon & Courtney Love Set For David Mamet’s JFK Thriller ‘Assassination’

Oscar winner Al Pacino (The Godfather), Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen (Green Book), Oscar nominee John Travolta (Pulp Fiction), BAFTA winner Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy), NBR Award winner Rebecca Pidgeon (Heist) and Golden Globe nominated singer and actress Courtney Love (The People vs. Larry Flynt) are set to star in the thriller Assassination, we can reveal.

The film, which Arclight is launching for the Cannes market, is to be directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner and Oscar nominee David Mamet (Wag the Dog) from a script he co-wrote with Nicholas Celozzi.

Assassination will retell the fateful murder of John F. Kennedy from the mob’s point of view, reimagining his death as a hit ordered by Chicago mob kingpin Sam Giancana as payback for JFK’s attempt to undermine the mob after they helped get him elected (that thread formed a big part of Oliver Stone’s JFK).

Script co-writer Celozzi is Giancana’s grandnephew. Acclaimed DoP Robert Elswitt, who won an Oscar for There Will Be Blood, is aboard as cinematographer.

Pic is being produced by Corey Large (It Follows) and Nicholas Celozzi (The Class). Executive producers are John Burnham, Arclight Films’ Gary Hamilton and Pia Patatian, Jordan Nott, Bernie Gewissler and Amar Balaggan. Finance comes from 308 Enterprises.

Production is scheduled to start in September in Vancouver.

“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.” said Arclight Films Chairman Gary Hamilton.

American playwright Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed-the-Plow. He received Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for Wag the Dog and The Verdict. His screenwriting credits also include The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Untouchables, Hoffa and Hannibal. He wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Glengarry Glen Ross, which starred Pacino.

Arclight Films’ current slate of films also includes the comedy Arthur’s Whisky starring Oscar winner Diane Keaton, and Sundance title Fairyland starring Scoot McNairy and Emilia Jones and produced by Sofia Coppola.

Source: Deadline