Comment: Pacino as Sinatra? Don’t think so...

With rumours that Martin Scorsese has his eye on Al Pacino for his forthcoming Sinatra biopic, Tom Huddleston raises and eyebrow and offers his two cents on potential casting...

It was revealed this week that Martin Scorsese is keen to cast Al Pacino as the lead in his long-gestating but as yet untitled biopic of Frank Sinatra, with Robert De Niro pencilled in as gin-soaked sideman Dean Martin. We can imagine a few reasons why Scorsese might make this pitch – they’ve all worked together before, he knows what they’re capable of, he may even get mate’s rates. But we can suggest more reasons why casting Pacino is a patently ridiculous idea, and here are a few of them…

The voice
Think of Frank Sinatra. You think of silky-smooth tones, perfect pitch, a wry edge of boozy, twinkly-eyed, self-deprecating humour. Now think of Al Pacino saying hello to his little friend. Doesn’t quite work, does it?

The look
Okay, so they’re pretty much the same height and they both have Italian roots. But there the similarities end: Sinatra was a glider, a floater, a charmer and, let’s face it, a git. Pacino, on the other hand, is a plodder, a puncher, a shouter and, by all accounts, a lovely human being. Yes it’s called acting for a reason, but suspension of disbelief can only take an audience so far.

The style
Sinatra became an icon of masculine beauty thanks not to his pug nose and bruised charm, but his immaculate, era-defining, presidentially endorsed dress sense. Pacino may have squeezed into some sharp awards-season outfits in his time, but he generally manages to look like an off-duty New York detective at his daughter’s wedding (white suit in ‘Scarface’ notwithstanding).

The voice (again)
Because it bears repeating: there really is no way to overstate how much of a stumbling block this is going to be. You could stick Pacino in the most expensive pinstripe in the world, slather him in prosthetics and surround him with stage lights until he looked the living spit of the late crooner. But as soon as he opens his mouth, it’s all over. And the first person to mouth the words ‘Michael Bublé overdubs’ gets a slap in the kisser.



As for Dean Martin, if we really squint we can just about see De Niro pulling it off, provided he gets the mannerisms down and doesn’t just do that crazy grin all the time. But what about the rest of the cast? Perhaps it’d be a good idea to jump in and make a few helpful suggestions…

Matthew Broderick as John F Kennedy
Because who wouldn’t want Matthew Broderick as president? Now that Martin Sheen’s too old, anyway.

Stephen Merchant as Joey Bishop
Lanky, gauche and utterly charming, Merchant thrives working with a diminutive show-off of limited range, so should slot right in.

Ryan Phillippe as Mia Farrow
Skinny, blonde and self-effacing, with elfin charm and no chest to speak of. Bingo.

Lois Griffin (from 'Family Guy') as Nancy Sinatra
Slinky, feisty and used to a turbulent home life, Quahog's first lady has shared a house with a drunk, obnoxious loudmouth for years. Not that we’re suggesting...

Johnny Depp as Sammy Davis Jr
Depp's getting a bit one-note these days, but when he pulls his finger out, his ability to utterly immerse himself in a role is uncanny. Who better to rise to the challenge of playing a Civil Rights crusadin', Nixon-lovin', scat-singin' one-eyed black Jew?

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