Robert De Niro and Al Pacino Nearly Reunited in 20 Year Old Crime Thriller Dominating Streaming

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino sharing a film is usually reason enough to pay attention. Put Martin Scorsese behind the camera, and the prospect becomes even harder to resist. That combination eventually materialized in The Irishman. But it could have happened considerably earlier in 2006’s The Departed. The movie reportedly had both actors in its casting mix.

Twenty years later, the crime thriller is attracting attention again. As of October 8, 2026, the FlixPatrol chart places it at No. 5 among HBO Max movies in the United States. Its eventual ensemble hardly lacked star power, but the possibility of adding the two Heat legends makes for a particularly tempting Hollywood what-if.

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino Nearly Joined The Departed’s Cast

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Heat | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

It has been widely reported that Scorsese wanted Al Pacino to play Frank Costello. Costello was the Boston crime boss who was eventually portrayed by Jack Nicholson. Pacino and Scorsese had never worked together at that point, making the potential collaboration noteworthy even without De Niro entering the picture.

De Niro was also approached. Scorsese confirmed so in an interview. The director said while promoting Killers of the Flower Moon (via Deadline):

Taken alongside the reports about Pacino, Scorsese’s confirmation makes the alternative cast tantalizing. The two stars were simply brilliant in Heat, playing off nicely against each other. They also co-starred in The Godfather 2, but did not share any scenes together, for De Niro was playing a young Vito Corleone, the father of Pacino’s Michael. Eventually, they did work together for the first time in a Martin Scorsese movie: in 2019 with The Irishman.

Pacino as Costello is especially easy to imagine. The character’s swagger and volatility would have given him plenty to work with. Nicholson, of course, is one of the greatest actors Hollywood has ever seen. He hardly approached the assignment with restraint. His Costello seems capable of turning even an ordinary conversation into a hostage situation.

And the film’s younger leads hardly needed rescuing. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan, an undercover cop infiltrating Costello’s organization. Matt Damon’s Colin Sullivan works for the gangster from inside the police. Their opposing deceptions give the film its relentless tension.

The Film Behind Scorsese’s Only Directing Oscar Surges on HBO Max

The HBO Max ranking puts The Departed just below Corpse Bride and above Supergirl. There is certainly enough here to justify another watch. Scorsese turns a story about infiltration into a study of men slowly suffocating under their invented identities. The violence is frightening, but so is the prospect of a phone ringing at the wrong moment.

The film also occupies a singular place in his awards history. At the 2007 Academy Awards, The Departed earned Scorsese Best Director, his first and somehow still only win in that category (via Oscars.org)

Whether it represents his finest work among all the Scorsese movies remains an excellent argument to start among film fans. Its entertainment value, however, cannot be disputed. Twenty years on, its combination of vicious humor and disastrous decision-making still makes a persuasive case for pressing play.

Would you have liked to see De Niro and Pacino in The Departed, or is the finished cast impossible to improve? Let us know in the comments.