Hank Azaria will soon be talking to (and Ponzi-scheming with) Robert De Niro as Variety reports the actor has just signed on to HBO’s Bernie Madoff movie, The Wizard Of Lies. De Niro is playing Madoff and Azaria will play Frank Dipascali, who was Madoff’s right-hand man. Dipascali wasn’t just privy to Madoff’s fraud—he seemed to be an enthusiastic participant as the self-proclaimed “director of options trading” and “chief financial officer.” When the jig was up, Dipascali pled guilty but died before he could be sentenced.
We previously reported on Michelle Pfeiffer joining the cast as Ruth Madoff, with Alessandro Nivola (A Most Violent Year, American Hustle) set to play their son. We also remarked on the movie’s protracted journey to production, as HBO optioned the rights to Diana Henriques’ eponymous book back in 2011 but did little else. Now the film, which will be directed by Barry Levinson (You Don’t Know Jack), has finally been cobbled together from two books—including Laurie Sandell’s Truth And Consequences—and with help of three screenwriters.