HBO’s Bernie Madoff movie with Robert De Niro gets green light

Robert De Niro’s HBO movie about the Bernie Madoff scandal is getting a major star-power boost with the addition of his Family co-star Michelle Pfeiffer.

“The Wizard of Lies” will tell the story of Madoff’s $65-million scam and the destruction it wreaked on his family, friends and investors.

Barry Levinson, who directed the HBO Films movie You Don’t Know Jack about another controversial figure, Jack Kevorkian (played by Al Pacino), is set to direct. He executive produces with Tribeca Prods’ De Niro and Jane Rosenthal as well as Berry Welsh.

“Wizard of Lies” is based on New York Times author Diana Henriques’ 2012 book of the same name, with additional source material from Laurie Sandell’s “Truth and Consequences“.

As well as adding Pfeiffer, who will play Ruth Madoff, Alessandro Nivola (A Most Violent Year) has also joined the cast of the film as Mark Madoff. Jason Sosnoff is a co-executive producer. Both books are a behind-the-scenes look at Madoff’s historic ponzi scheme and the lives it destroyed. John Burnham Schwartz, Sam Baum, and Sam Levinson will pen the screenplay.

ABC is also now working on a miniseries about the disgraced financier, called Madoff, which stars Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner.

As for Levinson, he remains best known for directing Rain Man.