Sylvester Stallone has replaced Robert De Niro in an upcoming mob thriller. The project will be called ‘Idol’s Eye’ and be directed by Oliver Assayas.
Inspired by true and real life events, the story follows a petty thief who accidentally steals a blue diamond belonging to Chicago mafia boss Tony Accardo, leading to a battle between the duo just as the FBI closes in.
Assayas originally tried to get the project off the ground in 2014, but funding was pulled at the 11th hour. De Niro, Robert Pattinson and Rachel Weisz were set to star. Filming will begin in February in Canada with a budget of $25 million.
Robert De Niro is rumoured to have left the project for Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman, another mob thriller that films around the same time.