‘Assassination’: David Mamet’s JFK Film To Star Al Pacino, Shia LaBeouf, Viggo Mortensen, & John Travolta

A new film by David Mamet is a pretty big deal. His last two films were 2013’s HBO drama Phil Spector, preceded by 2008’s Redbelt. But now he has arguably the most intriguing project up for sale on the Cannes market, Assassination, with a star-studded cast of Al Pacino, Shia LaBeouf, John Travolta, and Viggo Mortensen.

Arclight Films has announced Mamet’s next film, Assassination, with the aforementioned Pacino, LaBeouf, Travolta, and Mortensen, along with Rebecca Pidgeon and Courtney Love in her first role since 2018’s JT LeRoy.

Here’s a synopsis:

1963. During a crucial justice hearing against organized crime, the head of the Chicago mob orders the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Jr., creating a deadly conspiracy while altering the fate of a nation.

There are a number of fascinating aspects to this. Mamet is one of the greats, known for Wag the DogGlengary Glen RossThe Untouchables, and more. Seeing Mamet tackle this kind of controversial subject, an organized crime effort into the killing of JFK, sounds pretty amazing. While most of the cast we know what to expect from them, you’ve got some exciting x-factors like LaBeouf, whose comeback film Padre Pio arrives next month, and Love who showed how great she could be with The People vs. Larry Flynt.

Expect studio wallets to open up wide for this one.

Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.