Josh Trank's career took a bit of a hit five years ago when FANTASTIC FOUR quickly became a critical and commercial disappointment, but the director is back with CAPONE, formally known as FONZO, a crime biopic which stars Tom Hardy as notorious gangster Al Capone. The film takes a look at the final years of the mob boss as he suffers from the debilitating effects of syphilis after nearly a decade of imprisonment. Josh Trank had previously said that CAPONE would be hitting film festivals this year, but the spread of COVID-19 certainly put an end to that. Thankfully, Trank's film will see the light of day this year as the director has unveiled the first trailer for the film.
In addition to Tom Hardy, CAPONE also stars Linda Cardellini (AVENGERS: ENDGAME), Jack Lowden (FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY), Matt Dillon (THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT), Noel Fisher (Shameless), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), and Katherine Narducci (THE IRISHMAN). The trailer certainly looks promising, although I'm a sucker for crime biopics, but hopefully this will put Josh Trank back on the map. On Twitter, Trank added that CAPONE was planned to be a theatrical release, but that "hopefully [CAPONE] will be on the big screen later this year!"
The official synopsis for CAPONE:
Once a ruthless businessman and bootlegger who ruled Chicago with an iron fist, Alfonse Capone was the most infamous and feared gangster of American lore. At the age of 47, following nearly a decade of imprisonment, dementia rots Alfonse’s mind and his past becomes present. Harrowing memories of his violent and brutal origins melt into his waking life. As he spends his final year surrounded by family with the FBI lying in wait, this ailing patriarch struggles to place the memory of the location of millions of dollars he hid away on his property.
We won't have long to wait to experience the film for ourselves, as Vertical Entertainment and Redbox Entertainment will be releasing CAPONE as a home premiere VOD release on May 12, 2020 as a on-demand 48-hour rental. Just like Josh Trank, the distributor's are still hoping the film will hit theaters later in the year.