Ray Romano Cast In Martin Scorsese's The Irishman

Ray Romano has joined the cast of The Irishman, the upcoming film directed by Martin Scorsese, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. 

Romano will play Bill Bufalino, a "teamster lawyer" who has connections to the mob. He'll join Robert De Niro as the titular Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, a tough-as-nails Irish hitman rumored to have pulled the strings on over 25 mob murders, including that of Jimmy Hoffa, one-time president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Based on the Charles Brandt book entitled I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran and the Inside Story of the Mafia, the upcoming Netflix feature also stars Al Pacino as Hoffa, as well as Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, and Bobby Cannavale. 

Joining director Scorsese are producers Jane Rosenthal (Meet the Parents, the upcoming film Bohemian Rhapsody) and Emma Tillinger Koskoff (The Departed) and scriptwriter Steve Zaillian (Schindler's List, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). 

The Irishman is reportedly budgeted at over $100 million as will span "several decades of the characters' lives," according to THR. Filming is set to kick off in August. 

Romano currently stars in the critically lauded romantic comedy The Big Sick, in which he stars alongside Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley, Portlandia) and Zoe Kazan (Olive Kitteridge, In Your Eyes).

The Irishman is expected to be released in 2018. While we wait for more details, get familiar with the best films hitting theaters next year.