Quick, name the movie Joe Pesci starred in after his role in 1999’s Lethal Weapon 4. That’s ok, I have time, really think about it. What has he done since the turn of the millenium? The short answer is: nothing. Except for a cameo in last year’s The Good Shepherd, Pesci hasn’t made a movie in eight years. According to Variety, that is all about to change.

Pesci and Helen Mirren will star in the based on a true story drama Love Ranch for director Taylor Hackford. The duo will play Joe and Sally Conforte who started the first legal whore house in Nevada, The Mustang Ranch. As is often the case when drugs, money, sex and lowlifes get together, someone ended up getting killed. The script is by Mark Jacobson, who also wrote the story for American Gangster.

Pesci’s disappearance from movies is a little bit of a mystery. Wikipedia says it was to focus on his music career, but he doesn’t seem to have any albums out. Maybe he just decided to take his money and run before it all went downhill. Hackford’s films have always seemed ponderous to me, more self-important than is warranted, but lets hope for the best.