On set of Scorsese's 'The Irishman,' New York has a wannabe-Philly moment
"The Irishman," Martin Scorsese's film based on former hit man Frank Sheeran's story of life in the Philadelphia mob, is being shot not in South Philadelphia (where it indisputably belongs), but a hundred miles up the road in New York. Still, by the looks of photos submitted by readers and posted on social media, yous can expect to see some familiar sights.
So The Irishman, Martin Scorsese's film based on former hit man Frank Sheeran's story of life in the Philadelphia mob, is being shot not in South Philadelphia (where it indisputably belongs), but a hundred miles up the road in New York.
Still, by the looks of photos submitted by readers and posted on social media, youse can expect to see some familiar sights. For one, Philly's only Friendly Lounge — once owned by Skinny Razor, who, according to his son Marco DiTullio, was merely a razor-sharp dresser and definitely not a legendary mob killer — has been uncannily reproduced in Ridgewood, Queens. (That the no-parking permits on the site list the project name as "Villa Roma" is just red gravy.)
According to local residents, the block has been remade to reflect the Italian Market, with awnings and signage customized for the occasion and merchandise trucked into the stores to match. Reader Evan Branford even spotted Bobby Cannavale, set to play Skinny Razor, on the street getting feedback from Scorcese.
The Netflix film, which is set to be released in 2019, stars Robert De Niro as Sheeran and Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa. It is reported to have cost $105 million so far.
Of course, New York does tend to be more expensive than Philly.