David Schwimmer is not usually known for playing truly dark characters, but he’s taking a real crack at it now, entering into negotiations to play a killer in The Iceman.
Michael Shannon is lined up to star as Richard Kuklinski, a real-life killer who carried out contract hits at night while keeping up the pretense that he was a loving family man. He was so adept at hiding his other life that even his doting wife (who Maggie Gyllenhaal will play) had no idea what he really got up to.
Schwimmer is looking to play Josh Rosenthal, a fellow assassin employed by mob boss Roy Demeo (Ray Liotta). Rosenthal apparently looked up to Demeo as a father figure, and went to incredible lengths to win his respect.
Ryan O’Nan is also aboard, playing a young hustler who becomes enmeshed in Kuklinski’s deception. Ariel Vromen is set to direct the film, working from the script he adapted with Morgan Land from Anthony Bruno’s book The Iceman: The True Story Of A Cold-Blooded Killer. He’s aiming to kick off shooting in December.
Schwimmer’s most recent film was one he directed, the Clive Owen/Catherine Keener thriller Trust. He’ll next be seen (or rather, heard) in Madagascar 3 next year.