DeNiro and Marty were initially going to do Frankie Machine, about the San Diego mob. DeNiro had read I Heard You Paint Houses to prepare for the Machine role and realized he wanted to do Sheeran's story instead.
I don’t know much about Frankie Machine, although I read the Wikipedia synopsis and I can say I’m glad they abandoned that project. For one, it’s entirely fictional. It’d be nice to see some smaller families but the silver screen, but man that one sounds like some weird John Wick meets Donnie Brasco thriller that would not entice. The Irishman is getting rave reviews and it actually based on a true story. Scorsese and team made the right decision.
