After bringing incredible films and shows like Deadwood (movie), The Guilty, and True Detective to the screen, writer Nic Pizzolatto now makes his feature debut with Easy’s Waltz. The film, starring Vince Vaughn and Al Pacino, will be his first foray into a director’s role. Pizzolatto also penned the screenplay for the project, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
According to the first look, shared exclusively by Entertainment Weekly, the film will be a poignant story about lost dreams, stardom, and second chances. With Vaughn and Pacino as the core cast, Easy’s Waltz is tailor-made to be an award-season favorite that will tug at the heartstrings and was scripted as “an ode to show business and performers.”
Nic Pizzolatto’s Debut Film Easy’s Waltz: What Is It About?
According to IMDb, the synopsis of Easy’s Waltz reads as follows:
A down-on-his-luck crooner is given a chance at a comeback by an old-school Vegas personality, but his brother’s schemes and his own penchant for self-sabotage threaten to ruin the deal.
Al Pacino plays a mercurial character in the film (the old-school personality), named Svengali Mickey Albano, alongside Vaughn’s washed-out crooner, Easy.
With the veteran actors as the core cast, Pizzolatto’s film is nothing short of an auteur masterpiece in the making. The writer-director had been developing the film with Vaughn for years while also working on other critically acclaimed projects like True Detective.
The feature film is getting recognized as Nic Pizzolatto’s passion project and a labor of love for both him and his lead star, Vaughn. The latter got to fulfill his childhood dream of working alongside the legendary Al Pacino in the movie.
[Note: Vaughn and Pizzolatto also collaborated on the HBO masterpiece, True Detective‘s Season 2.]
Vince Vaughn on Working With His Idol, Al Pacino
Rising in the 1990s and early Aughts as a comedy actor, Vince Vaughn grew into a SAG Award-nominated star in Hollywood. He reveals that it was the legendary Godfather star, Al Pacino, who inspired him to step into the industry in the first place.
In an interview with EW, Vince Vaughn detailed his experience working with childhood idol and veteran actor Al Pacino.
Al is one of the people as a child who inspired me to want to perform, so, of course, I was beyond thrilled to have a chance to work with him… He has such a strength without trying hard. He’s playful. It’s even more captivating and dangerous with the character he plays. Like, there’s real love in him, and then there’s real gravitas, but it’s kind of thrown away in the light. And it’s that unpredictability, you’re not quite sure where this is going. But none of it feels forced, or like someone’s trying to convince you.
I was just blown away with how alive and light and honest [he is]. It felt like having a real conversation with somebody.
However, Vaughn was not the only one starstruck on set. Pacino did not hold back on his compliments about his co-star, claiming:
I really had a pleasure working with Vincent. It was a pleasure to watch him. And I kept telling people, This man is transcendent. His performance is beautiful. Not that I ever doubted that he could do anything, but it’s very, very refreshing to be around something like his interpretation. It’s refreshing and inspiring, actually, to be around that.
Vaughn sang and recorded over a dozen tunes in the film. Some are classics like The Little Drummer Boy and Stevie Nicks’ pop hit, Edge of Seventeen, all of which were performed with Vaughn’s own spin on them. Pacino further raved about his co-star’s musical talents, saying:
I thought this guy could be [a Vegas headliner] or something. He had such a natural take on it. When you hear him sing, he actually moves you.
This film could be Vaughn’s version of Uncut Gems, meaning that Pizzolatto’s feature film could finally establish him as a serious actor with depth outside of comedies. Easy’s Waltz will display a side of Vaughn never seen before on the big screen, and with such rave reviews from Pacino himself, one can expect the film and its lead to deliver on every front [TIFF].
The film will also star Cobie Smulders, Kate Mara, Michelle Monaghan, and Shania Twain in undisclosed roles.
Are you hyped about Nic Pizzolatto’s feature directorial debut as writer-director? Share your thoughts on Vaughn’s new role as a heavyweight lead in the film.
Easy’s Waltz will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2025. A date for its wider theatrical release has not been announced yet.
