Al Pacino’s recent film career has been a shadow of what the great man is capable of, and with the news that he has signed on to director Dito Montiel’s next project, the police thriller Son of No One, comes the hope that we may see something special.

THR has the casting news today, and a one line synopsis which I feel compelled to quote here,

[The story] centers on a young cop who is assigned to a precinct in the working class neighborhood where he grew up, with an old secret surfacing and threatening to destroy his life and family

Montiel’s previous films as writer/director include last year’s Fighting and 2006’s A Guide to Recognising Your Saints, both had roles for Channing Tatum, who isn’t confirmed to star in Son of No One, although if schedules work out there’s a good chance he’ll be the one to play the young police officer.

We’re expecting to see Pacino take on another Shakespearean icon, King Lear, sometime this year, and while Son of No One isn’t a huge departure from his previous work, I’m hoping that his presence will elevate this film.