Alto Knights Release Date, Cast, Director, And More Details

While there is no denying that Robert De Niro has successfully entertained audiences for decades in a wide array of roles, the parts that arguably put him on the map include carefully crafted crime boss personas found in some of the most popular mob movies ever made. The actor is looking to add more mob roles to his resume as he is set to star in the upcoming crime drama "Alto Knights."

De Niro has been known to impress audiences with his efforts as Jimmy Conway in "Goodfellas" and the young Vito Corleone in "The Godfather Part II," a performance which earned him the 1975 Academy Award for best supporting actor. He has also received an Oscar nomination for best actor for "Taxi Driver" and the best actor prize itself for "Raging Bull." It's pretty clear that De Niro delivers when playing a character in a crime drama, but what if he was given the chance to play two parts in the same gangster flick? Thankfully, the movie "Alto Knights" will provide the Cecil B. DeMille Award winner with that opportunity.

The actor will be headlining the feature in both leading roles as Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, two real-life Italian-American mob bosses whose rivalry shook up the criminal underworld in the 1950s. Anyone looking to get in on the action before De Niro pulls double duty in dual roles should show their respect by getting better acquainted with what's happening with "Alto Knights."

"Alto Knights" is based in part on "Frank Costello: Prime Minister of the Underworld," a book about the titular criminal kingpin written by Costello's lawyer. That biography hit stores in 1974, and Hollywood producers and studios have considered adaptations of the project, off and on, ever since. 

Production on the latest iteration — and one that will actually hit screens — began in earnest in August 2022, when Barry Levinson, Nicholas Pileggi, and Robert De Niro all signed on to direct, write, and star in the film, respectively. The project filmed under the name "Wise Guys" (alternately "The Wise Guys"), and in early 2023, studio Warner Bros. penciled it in for a theatrical release date of February 2, 2024.

However, in October 2023, due to the now-concluded SAG-AFTRA strike, Warner Bros. changed its mind on both the title of the movie as well as its unveiling date. The mob drama was officially renamed "Alto Knights" and given a new premiere date of November 15, 2024.

The plot for "Alto Knightss" centers on two different crime families and the rivalry between the crime bosses that run them, Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. While both were well respected in the criminal underworld, they ran their illegal enterprises very differently. Genovese was an enforcer type known for his brutality, and Costello relied more on charisma and brains to get the job done. Robert De Niro will have his work cut out for him when he takes on both characters in a movie that highlights the historic criminals and the assassination attempt on Costello ordered by Genovese that took place in 1957. Even though the hit was unsuccessful, Costello gives up his mafia throne and authority to Genovese in favor of retirement. This is a contrast to the bloodshed and violence that follows in most mob stories.

As far as the movie's narrative is concerned, the concept of a crime boss in the Mafia trying to kill another head of a family is nothing new when it comes to mob flicks. But De Niro playing two very different roles in a genre that helped solidify him as one of the most revered actors of his generation does come off as the kind of score fans wouldn't want to miss out on. And De Niro isn't the only talented player in the cast of "Alto Knights."

As previously mentioned, the man taking on both starring roles in "Alto Knights" as Vito Genavises and Frank Costello will be two-time Academy Award winner Robert De Niro. While the actor, whose recent efforts include "Joker" and "Killers of the Flower Moon," has an assortment of credits across various genres, he has cultivated a reputation for putting out remarkable performances in crime dramas like "The Godfather Part II," "Heat," "Goodfellas," and "Casino."

Deadline reported on October 21, 2022 that Debra Messing was in talks to play Bobbi Costello, the wife of Frank Costello. Messing is known for "The Wedding Date," "Searching," "Bros," "Will and Grace," and "The Mysteries of Laura." A few days later, it was revealed that Katherine Narducci would be playing Vito Genovese's wife, Anna. Fans may recognize her from a number of projects, including the films "The Irishman" and "The Wizard of Lies," both of which also starred De Niro.

On January 23, 2020, Cosmo Jarvis was added to the cast. As far as his film experience is concerned, his noteworthy works include acclaimed performances in "Lady Macbeth" and "Calm with Horses" and appearances on shows like "Peaky Blinders."

Veteran director Barry Levinson was chosen to helm "Alto Knights," and he's been adding credits to his resume since 1970. Some of the Oscar-winning director's standout achievements include "The Natural," "Good Morning, Vietnam," and "Rain Man," which earned him an Academy Award in 1989. When it comes to gangster films, Levinson earned some credibility thanks to his work with Warren Beatty in the 1991 feature "Bugsy."

While his resume speaks for itself, what's interesting about the "Alto Knights" project is it's one of the many collaborations the cinematic auteur has accomplished with Robert De Niro, whom he previously worked with on "Wag the Dog," "Sleeper," and "What Just Happened." In addition, the director also worked with De Niro and "Alto Knights" co-star Kathleen Narducci on "The Wizard of Lies."

Levinson's experience as a filmmaker, familiarity with the genre, and prior experience with some of its cast bode well for the film's success and arguably add to the reasons why fans shouldn't sleep on "Alto Knights."

Nicholas Pileggi is responsible for penning the screenplay for "Alto Knights," which isn't his first time writing a great gangster movie for Robert De Niro. Pileggi is also a renowned author who wrote the book "Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family," which centers on Henry Hill, a member of the Mafia who eventually becomes an informant. The New York Times bestseller, published in 1985, would eventually become the source material for the Oscar-winning movie "Goodfellas." Pileggi wrote the screenplay with Martin Scorsese, and the movie would later be revered as one of the filmmaker's best works — and one of De Niro's, too, as he portrayed Jimmy Conway (a fictionalized version of real-life Mafia associate James Burke) in the film.

He also wrote a book called "Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas" that chronicled the Mafia's reign over Sin City in the 1970s and 1980s. The true crime story focused on casino executive Frank Rosenthal and his friend Anthony Spilotro. Pileggi again adapted his work for a Scorsese-directed motion picture starring De Niro with the 1995 Academy Award-nominated film "Casino," where Rosenthal and Spilotro were respectively renamed Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro) and Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci).

Pileggi has executive producer credits on "American Gangster" and "The Irishman." A quick look through his history with crime dramas makes it clear why he was chosen to write "Alto Knights."

Academy Award winner Irwin Winkler is listed as one of the producers for "Alto Knights." Since 1967, Winkler has produced a number of feature films people are probably very familiar with, including "The Right Stuff," "The Wolf of Wall Street," and the "Rocky" movies. He has also worked on some of Robert De Niro's movies in the past, such as "Goodfellas" and "The Irishman." 

Also producing "Alto Knights" is Jason Sosnoff, whose early credits before his producing days include working on several of Robert De Niro's films as an office production aide on "Analyze This," research advisor on "The Good Shepherd," and assistant to Barry Levinson (director) on "What Just Happened." He has also worked as a producer on director Barry Levinson's films, including "The Bay" and "Rock the Kasbah."

With the way things are playing out with "Alto Knights," there are arguably more connections behind the scenes than an actual crime syndicate, which makes sense considering what inspired the movie in the first place.

For those wondering, "Alto Knights" is based on actual events that happened in real life. Frank Costello and Vito Genovese were both high-ranking members of the mob working under Lucky Luciano. But when he was no longer in power, Genovese tried to take Costello out, but the assassination attempt in 1957 failed. Costello left with a non-fatal gunshot wound to the head and decided that was enough to get him to retire from a life of crime.

Tony DeStefano, author of "Top Hoodlum: Frank Costello Prime Minister of the Mafia" and "The Deadly Don: Vito Genovese, Mafia Boss," has an intriguing theory behind what motivated Genovese to have Costello whacked. "I think the main problem was that Genovese felt envious of Costello, who was the more polished, politically connected, and more astute businessman," DeStefano told The Mob Museum. "For those reasons, Costello was given the leadership of the family by Luciano after Genovese left for Europe in the face of the murder rap." The writer added, "Genovese saw Costello in the 1950s as the main impediment to his control of the family." 

But despite getting shot in the head and losing to Genovese, writer Nicholas Pileggi feels Costello got off easy, saying, "If ever there was an organized crime figure who came out pretty good, it was Frank Costello."

It will be interesting to see how the true crime story will play out in the movie and if Robert De Niro kills it playing two notorious wise guys or if he leaves viewers feeling like they have a retirement-inducing head wound.