De Niro and Michael Keaton share a scene at last, 29 years after Jackie Brown
Robert De Niro and Michael Keaton’s creepy horror movie hits Netflix today — dare you hit play in the dark?
Not every day you get Michael Keaton and Robert De Niro sharing the screen in a bona fide spine-chiller, but here we are. Netflix have just dropped The Whisper Man, and by the sounds of it, you might want to keep the lights on for this one. Adam Scott is headlining, but honestly, it’s the supporting cast that’s likely to raise a few eyebrows—and maybe a few pulses.
The Whisper Man lands on Netflix today.
The Story and Who's Who
This adaptation takes its cues from Alex North's much-hyped novel, which sits firmly in the 'nightmare fuel' section of your local bookshop. We’re following Scott’s Tom Kennedy, a widowed crime writer whose life has truly gone off the rails: his eight-year-old son has vanished, and if that wasn’t enough, he’s forced to reconnect with his estranged dad in the search. Not much of a father-son picnic, that.
The father in question? Enter Robert De Niro as Pete Willis—retired detective inspector, not known for his soft touch, but desperate times and all that. The real twist is that the disappearance ties back to a long-dead serial killer, the titular ‘Whisper Man’. You’re in for plenty of gloomy flashbacks and family tension, if that's your flavour.
Behind the Curtain: Cast Feels
De Niro’s no stranger to the world of crime dramas, obviously, but he said the unique dynamic between Pete and his son Tom was what tempted him to sign on. Apparently, this film felt 'fresh' despite his stacked filmography. Another curiosity: although De Niro and Keaton both appeared in ‘Jackie Brown’, this is the first time you’ll actually see them in a scene together. Asked about finally sharing the screen, De Niro gave his take in an interview:
“It was good. He was perfect for it. I don’t even know how it came about, but I was very happy that he was doing it.”
While De Niro was keen, Adam Scott was absolutely bricking it. He admitted he was seriously intimidated acting opposite a Hollywood legend—going as far as to say he had De Niro’s picture taped up in his locker at school, and all he wanted was not to embarrass himself on set. One of those pinch-me moments, if not a little sweatier than he’d have liked.