Robert De Niro spotted with a birthday balloon as he turns 79… as he reunites with the GoodFellas co-writer in a movie where he’ll play TWO mob bosses
Robert De Niro was spotted carrying a “Happy Birthday” balloon when he surfaced in New York on Wednesday.
The legendary actor, who won Oscars for his roles in The Godfather Part II and Raging Bull, turned 79 that day.
He appeared in a casual guise, keeping his mask on as he strolled the sidewalk in his native Manhattan neighborhood.
Going out: Robert De Niro, who won Oscars for his roles in The Godfather Part II and Raging Bull, turned 79 on Wednesday when he was spotted in New York
His latest sighting comes amid news that he’s reuniting with GoodFellas co-screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi in a movie called Wise Guys – where he takes on a dual role.
Pileggi wrote the original nonfiction book Wiseguys in 1985, then co-wrote GoodFellas as its 1990 film adaptation, directed by Martin Scorsese.
A few years later, Scorsese and Pileggi teamed up again on the 1995 film Casino, which also starred De Niro and became an instant classic.
Although it shares its name with the book behind GoodFellas, the upcoming Wise Guys movie obviously won’t revisit the story of Henry Hill, the real-life mobster at the center of that movie.
Kicking: He appeared in a casual look, keeping his mask on as he strolled down the sidewalk in his native Manhattan neighborhood with a ‘happy birthday’ balloon
The new film will instead focus on the bloody rivalry between mobsters Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, whose heyday ran from the 1920s to the 1950s.
De Niro will play both Frank and Vito in the film, which will be directed by Barry Levinson, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Levinson has directed De Niro in several previous films, most recently The Wizard Of Lies, an HBO film starring the acclaimed actor as Bernie Madoff.
In the 1990s, Levinson and De Niro collaborated on films such as the political satire Wag The Dog, which foreshadowed the Clinton scandals with eerie accuracy.
Double role: De Niro will play notorious gangsters Vito Genovese (left) and Frank Costello (right) in an upcoming film called Wise Guys
Wise Guys, the first original movie produced by Warner Bros. Discovery, is set to have a full theatrical release rather than being slipped onto a streamer.
Vito Genovese and Frank Costello waged a feud that raged through the decades – culminating in 1957, when Genovese punched Costello.
Although Costello managed to survive the assassination attempt, he withdrew from the mafia scene, scoring a partial victory for Genovese.
Genovese’s triumph was short-lived, however, as two years later he found himself in prison, where he spent the rest of his life until his death in 1969.
There he is: De Niro is pictured in June during a photocall at the Tribeca Film Festival to benefit his 1995 film Heat
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