Tom Hardy set to play Al Capone in Josh Trank’s Fonzo

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Tom Hardy is in a very lucky position. Coming off two hit movies that made a splash at this year’s Oscars (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD and THE REVENANT), the talented thespian can do anything he wants. He could say he wants to do a gritty, live-action SCOOBY-DOO movie and it would probably get a prime awards season release. But of course, the man is a force to be reckoned with, so naturally he will take on the duty of playing a man of similar traits: Al Capone.

News broke that Hardy will play the Prohibition era crime boss and American icon in the movie FONZO, written and set to be directed by Josh Trank (CHRONICLE, FANTASTIC FOUR). The film will take place during his final years as dementia took over his mind, all before dying at age 48. The film’s official synopsis is as follows (via IGN):

"Once a ruthless businessman and bootlegger who ruled Chicago with an iron fist, Alfonse [sic] 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 as harrowing memories of his violent and brutal origins melt into his waking life."

Capone became a notorious crime boss at the age of 26, before being arrested at the age of 33 for unpaid back taxes, and has been portrayed by countless actors in numerous projects, most notably by Robert De Niro in Brian De Palma's tremendous work, THE UNTOUCHABLES.

Hardy is not unfamiliar with playing historical thugs, having portrayed twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray in LEGEND, and gave a particularly gonzo performance as Charles Bronson in BRONSON in 2008. Not to mention he received his Oscar nomination for THE REVENANT as the despicable John Fitzgerald, proving the man has a knack for playing roguish and dastardly men with immense, wild-eyed unpredictability. Though writer/director Trank experienced backlash for his work on FANTASTIC FOUR, he is returning to smaller features here, and with Hardy as his leading man there’s a glimmer of hope this will be the film to redeem him for his cinematic crimes. Needless to say he's got a lot of redeeming ahead of him.

FONZO is currently in pre-production, so expect a 2018 release. You can catch Hardy in Christopher Nolan's upcoming war film, DUNKIRK, on July 21. 2017.