Once he was The King Of Comedy for Martin Scorsese. Now Robert De Niro is set to be The Comedian for Mike Newell. The actor and director will join forces for the film, based on a screenplay by Art Linson (What Just Happened?).
De Niro will also produce the film, and has been keen to get it underway for some time. There's no information on the plot so far, but The Comedian revolves around an aging "insult comic", reportedly not dissimilar to Don Rickles, who made an appearance alongside De Niro in Scorsese's Casino. Comedy Central's Jeffrey Ross has written the stand-up material.
Linson, Courtney Solomon and Mark Canton are also among the producers, and shooting is planned for November in New York.