Robert De Niro to Tackle Bernie Madoff Character in HBO Movie

Robert De Niro, who’s never one to shy away from portraying criminals, has signed on to play Bernie Madoff in a potential HBO movie about the disgraced financier.

Although production has yet to start, De Niro’s Tribeca Productions will be the ones to do so. The film is partially based on the Madoff books ‘The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust and Truth’ and ‘Consequences: Life Inside The Madoff Family.’

In 2009, Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for his role in a Ponzi scheme, which bilked investors out of $50 billion. As a result of his crime, him and his family have become the targets of hate mail, prompting Madoff and his wife to attempt suicide.

[Entertainment Weekly]