‘It’s one of those legendary scripts that actors dream of doing’: Cult For 37 years, one of the best gangster films almost had a prequel with Nicolas Cage.

Released in October 1987, The Incorruptibles quickly found its place in the pantheon of the greatest gangster films in cinema history. Director Brian De Palma brings together the best actors with Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Robert De Niro.

Let us remind you that the story takes us to Chicago in the 1930s, during the Prohibition period. Al Capone reigns in the chain of illegal alcohol sales. Agent Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is determined to put an end to the movement and confuse the criminal. Four “incorruptibles” go to war together against the Capone gang…

The latter, played by the terrible Robert De Niro, was noted in the minds of viewers for its brutality and randomness. The scene where he kills a man with a baseball bat is undoubtedly one of the most violent in the genre. 3 years before Goodfellas, the actor had already given us a legendary gangster performance.

The Rise of Al Capone

This performance was so unanimous that it gave Paramount ideas! According to director Brian De Palma, Interviewed in 2012 by ColliderThe studio wanted to start working on an Al Capone prequel right away! “We’ve cast several times, but we’ve never been able to put all the pieces together at once.”Trusts the author of Scarface.

I think Nicolas Cage should have played Al Capone. Gerard Butler was going to play Sean Connery.

“Paramount owns it, so there’s nothing I can do about it. At some point I think Nicolas Cage Al Capone had to play. Gerard Butler He was going to play the role of Sean Connery. I think we had Benicio del Toro as Capone”continues the filmmaker.

Discontinued project

“There were so many good people attached to this movie. It’s one of those legendary story lines that actors dream of doing, but we never got everything together with Paramount.”Brian De Palma concludes.

This is one of those legendary scenarios that actors dream of performing.

This prequel should have had a title Capone Rising. On paper, the prospect of seeing a bloated Nicolas Cage play the notorious gangster was tantalizing, as was the prospect of Gerard Butler playing a young Jim Malone, the role played by Sean Connery in the original film.

However, if you are interested in the rise of Al Capone, you can always watch the excellent series created by Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire. Stephen Graham plays a gangster with real animal strength. The show is fully available on the Max platform.

Plus, if you want to (re)watch Incorruptibles, it’s on Paramount+!