Al Pacino to star as mafia boss in Captivated

Al Pacino is to play a mafia boss in the new thriller 'Captivated'.

The 84-year-old actor is to feature alongside Katie Holmes and Toby Kebbell in the film that is billed as a new take on the infamous kidnapping of John Paul Getty III in 1973.

The picture centres on Calabrian mafia boss Saro (played by Kebbell and Pacino at different stages of his life) who kidnaps the grandson of one of the richest men in the world, Jean Paul Getty, and puts his organisation in danger when he develops romantic feelings for his victim's mother (Holmes) during the ransom negotiations.

Michael Benaroya, Michael Mammoliti and Manasvi Mamgai are producing the movie for 32RED Entertainment and it is being launched for sales in Cannes by International Film Trust.

Mammoliti is the nephew of one of the main kidnappers Saro Mammoliti and has spent years working on the project – even taking issue with the plot of the 2017 movie 'All The Money In The World' which tackled the same subject.

The events of the kidnapping have been disputed for decades but Mammoliti recalls how his uncle had feelings towards his victim's mother Abigail Harris and is exploring it for the first time in the film.

Dito Montiel is directing the flick from a script he wrote with Mammoliti and Robin Shushan with principal photography due to begin later this year in Italy.

Mammoliti said: "Our goal is to give a voice to a person who's had none for 50+ years, and tell a side of this story no one knows."

Benaroya added: "'Captivated' has all the ingredients of a great film, a fantastic script, stellar cast, and visionary director. We couldn't be more excited to have it on our slate."