Lucky Luciano Gets His Own Big-Screen Gig

Of course, with one gangster movie on the way, it's not surprising that there's word of another on the pipeline. But this one, at the very least, has a funky twist. Variety reports that concert and sports promoter Frank J. Russo has bought a script from Joe Cortese called Charlie Lucky -- based on Charles 'Lucky' Luciano.

It looks like this is a bit of a passion project for Russo, who is jumping into his first film at the age of 62. He says that he tried to write a screenplay based on Lucky, but when he read Cortese's take on the man: "I wasn't aware of how involved Luciano was with Dewey. Joe wrote a compelling screenplay, and I wrote a seven-figure check."

See, unlike the usual gangster who robs from here, shoots from there, it seems that Luciano has a whole intricate side story. Aside from being the father of organized crime, he had a rival with New York Governor Thomas Dewey -- who "got Luciano convicted on trumped-up prostitution charges, then enlisted him to aid the U.S. during WWII. Luciano helped Gen. George Patton find the easiest route through Sicily and helped clear German Saboteurs out of New York harbor."

Now the question becomes: Who could play him? I know he's playing Melvin Purvis in Public Enemies, but Christian Bale would be perfect for this -- especially when comparing the lower face/lip area.