The Irishman

Los Angeles, CA – May 6, 2009 – Code Entertainment has announced that Jonathan Hensleigh will direct THE IRISHMAN, the true life action/crime story of notorious mobster Danny Greene, with Ray Stevenson (KING ARTHUR, ROME, BOOK OF ELI, PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, CIRQUE DU FREAK)  playing the title role. Hensleigh is the screenwriter of DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE, JUMANJI, ARMAGEDDON, and NEXT, and helmed Lionsgate’s THE PUNISHER starring Thomas Jane and John Travolta. Hensleigh is directing THE IRISHMAN from his own script.

Joining Stevenson in the gangland story are Christopher Walken as the infamous loan-sharking nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer as the Cleveland Police detective who befriends Danny Greene.  Additional casting will be announced shortly.

The screenplay for THE IRISHMAN was written by Hensleigh (who also has NINE LIVES in development with Jerry Bruckheimer) and Jeremy Walters (DALI) and was inspired by the true story in the book “To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia” by Rick Porrello.

Code’s Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt, and Eugene Musso (DROWNING MONA, SCORCHED, YOU KILL ME) will produce, along with Dundee Entertainment’s Tommy Reid and Tara Reid who brought the property to CODE. Jonathan Dana, Peter Miller, and Rick Porrello are executive producers, with George Perez serving as co-producer. Cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub (CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN, CITY BY THE SEA, BLACK BOOK, INDEPENDENCE DAY) has signed on to shoot the film, with Oscar-winning production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein (AMADEUS, SHAFT, MAN ON THE MOON) coming on board to re-create 1970s Cleveland, Ohio. Academy Award nominee Douglas Crise (BABEL) serves as film editor.

THE IRISHMAN chronicles the rise and fall of Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), the fiercely proud and vicious Irish-American gangster who muscled in on the Italian mob in 1970s Cleveland, Ohio.  Thirty-six bombs shook the streets of Cleveland in 1976 as the legendary, almost mythical Celtic warrior Danny Greene launched a turf war that struck down countless dozens of gangsters.  The hard fought death of Danny Greene started a chain reaction of mobsters turning against mobsters that led to the collapse of the Mafia not only in Cleveland, but also in Milwaukee, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and other cities across the United States.  The Mafia, or La Cosa Nostra, never recovered. 

Principal photography begins May 19 in Detroit, Michigan.  Lightning Entertainment, the Santa Monica based sales and distribution company, will introduce the project to international buyers at the upcoming Cannes Market.  ICM and Jonathan Dana are handling domestic sales.

Jonathan Hensleigh, Christopher Walken, and Val Kilmer are represented by ICM. Ray Stevenson is represented by Endeavor.

About Code Entertainment:

Code Entertainment finances, develops and produces theatrical feature films and through its Code Management division manages writers, directors, novelists, and entertainment related estates.

Founded in 1994, Code has produced 12 feature films, working with both emerging and established talent, including Academy Award-winning actors, directors, composers and cinematographers. The company operates with a revolving equity fund and produces and finances two to three films per year.  Code Management since its inception in 2004 has established an important list of clients that write and direct for both independent and major studios. Code’s partners are Bart Rosenblatt, Al Corley, Eugene Musso, Rick Berg, and Rich Freeman. Jonathan Dana serves as marketing and sales representative for the company’s feature films.

About Lightning Entertainment:

Based in Santa Monica, Lightning Entertainment is a distribution company involved in worldwide distribution and licensing of independent film product, as well as acquisitions and co-productions.  Helmed by Richard S. Guardian and Rich Goldberg, Lightning brings 10-12 quality films to the marketplace every year.   

In addition to THE IRISHMAN, Lightning’s slate at the upcoming Cannes Market includes the supernatural ghost story “No-Do” (The Beckoning”), “The Merry Gentleman” starring Michael Keaton and Kelly Macdonald, and shark-attack thriller “The Reef”.

For more information please visit www.lightning-entertainment.com

About ICM

International Creative Management (ICM) is one of the world’s largest talent and literary agencies, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and London. The agency, formed in 1975, represents creative and technical talent in the fields of motion pictures, television, publishing, music, live performance, branded entertainment and new media. In 2006, ICM acquired literary agency Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann. ICM is backed by private and institutional capital from Rizvi Traverse and Merrill Lynch’s Global Asset Based Finance Group respectively.