The idea of making Raging Bull II is probably only a good idea to those with dollar signs in their eyes, but it appears it’s happening. It’s actually been in the works for a long time, with the first reports emerging in 2006 that the book Raging Bull II by Chris Anderson, Sharon McGehee and Jake LaMotta was being quietly adapted to film.
The movie will chart LaMotta’s life both before and after the Scorsese movie, looking at his youth as well as his tumultuous later life. He was certainly busy, getting through six wives, going broke and trying to re-emerge as a decent human being.
Perhaps thankfully De Niro won’t be cashing in on this one, with the role of LaMotta going to William Forsythe instead. It’s not the first time Forsythe has taken over a De Niro role, as he also played Al Capone in the TV follow-up to Brian De Palmas The Untouchables.
Martin Guigui will direct from a script he co-wrote with Rustam Branaman. He’s casting the film now with the hope to begin production in June. You can head over to Moviehole for a bit of a casting breakdown.
I wouldn’t get too upset about this if I were you, as it’ll probably got straight to DVD and then be completely forgotten.