Tell someone you’re replacing Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, and see how quickly a perfectly pleasant conversation turns into an argument. Martin Scorsese’s 1990 gangster classic boasts one of the most recognizable casts in movie history, with Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Lorraine Bracco, and Pesci delivering performances that have become practically inseparable from their characters. Recasting them sounds like a spectacularly bad idea. Which, naturally, makes it irresistible.
Of course, nobody is suggesting Hollywood actually remake Goodfellas. There are already plenty of excellent gangster movies to watch if you love Scorsese’s classic. But imagining the film being made in 2026 raises an interesting question: Which contemporary actors could capture the personalities that made Henry Hill’s criminal world so compelling without simply impersonating the original stars?
Much like the exercise in recasting the original Star Wars trilogy for 2026, the challenge is finding performers who could bring something different to characters audiences already know by heart. These seven casting choices range from relatively obvious to potentially controversial. Then again, anyone attempting to fill Pesci’s shoes should probably expect a little trouble.
Jeremy Allen White As Henry Hill (Originally Ray Liotta)
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Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill is one of cinema’s great unreliable narrators, a man so thoroughly seduced by the gangster lifestyle that he barely notices when it begins destroying everything around him. Henry loves the money, the attention, and the privilege of never having to wait in line. He’s also perfectly willing to ignore the uglier realities of his profession until those realities become impossible to escape. Replacing Liotta requires an actor who can make Henry charming even when his behavior is indefensible.
Jeremy Allen White has already demonstrated his talent for portraying men who seem permanently seconds away from a nervous breakdown. His performance as Carmy Berzatto in The Bear makes him an especially appealing choice for Henry’s cocaine-fueled final day, when he’s juggling drug deals, family obligations, and the increasingly reasonable suspicion that federal agents are following him. That entire sequence has enough mounting paranoia to rival the films in this free-streaming thriller roundup. White would need to bring more swagger to Henry’s earlier years, but watching him slowly lose control could be spectacular.
Jon Bernthal As Jimmy Conway (Originally Robert De Niro)
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Robert De Niro’s Jimmy Conway is the kind of gangster who can buy everyone a drink and have them murdered before the bill arrives. He’s charming when it suits him, but the aftermath of the Lufthansa heist reveals just how dangerous he becomes when money starts interfering with friendship. Jimmy rarely needs to threaten anyone directly. The possibility of what he might do is usually frightening enough.
Jon Bernthal has the screen presence to make that kind of menace convincing. His portrayal of Frank Castle in The Punisher established him as an intimidating action star, although Screen Rant has also made a rather entertaining case for Bernthal’s Frank Castle being the MCU’s hottest character. As Jimmy, however, Bernthal would need to rely less on physical intimidation and more on the unsettling charm he displayed as Mikey Berzatto in The Bear. Imagine him stealthily deciding which of his associates has become a liability. De Niro made that calculation terrifying without saying much, and Bernthal could do the same.
Barry Keoghan As Tommy DeVito (Originally Joe Pesci)
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This is where the recasting exercise becomes borderline sacrilegious. Joe Pesci won an Academy Award for playing Tommy DeVito, whose explosive temper makes even his closest friends nervous. His famous confrontation with Henry over whether he’s funny remains one of Goodfellas‘ most unforgettable scenes because nobody, including the audience, knows whether Tommy is joking or about to commit murder. Trying to reproduce Pesci’s performance would be an excellent way to ruin the movie.
Barry Keoghan, however, has made unpredictability something of a specialty. His deeply unsettling performance in The Killing of a Sacred Deer demonstrated how frightening he can be without conventional displays of aggression, while Saltburn revealed his talent for concealing sinister intentions beneath an apparently harmless exterior. Keoghan would certainly need to work on Tommy’s distinctive New York attitude, but he already understands how to make people uncomfortable. More importantly, he’s strange enough to approach the character differently. Nobody is replacing Joe Pesci, but Keoghan might be the rare actor capable of making audiences temporarily forget they’re watching someone try.
Cristin Milioti As Karen Hill (Originally Lorraine Bracco)
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Karen Hill deserves considerably more credit for making Goodfellas work. Lorraine Bracco takes the character from a young woman dazzled by Henry’s criminal connections to someone who becomes increasingly involved in his lifestyle. Karen enjoys the money and excitement, even as she begins discovering how dangerous her husband’s world can be. She’s no innocent bystander, and Bracco makes her complicity part of what keeps the character interesting.
Cristin Milioti would be terrific in the role, particularly after her performance as Sofia Falcone in The Penguin. Milioti understands how to play a woman who’s underestimated by the men around her, and she can move from amusement to outright fury with alarming speed. It’s easy to imagine her delivering Karen’s increasingly frantic narration or confronting Henry’s mistress, Janice. She also has the comic timing to capture the absurdity of Karen’s circumstances without undermining the danger. Bracco made Karen unforgettable, but Milioti could make the character her own.
Vincent D’Onofrio As Paulie Cicero (Originally Paul Sorvino)
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Paulie Cicero never raises his voice because everyone already understands what happens when he gets angry. Paul Sorvino was magnificent as the mob boss who oversees Henry’s criminal education, dispensing favors and warnings with an almost paternal calm. He can be generous, but his loyalty has limits, particularly when Henry’s involvement in the drug trade begins threatening the organization. By the time Paulie decides he’s finished with Henry, there’s no room for negotiation.
Vincent D’Onofrio has spent years perfecting precisely this kind of intimidation. His portrayal of Wilson Fisk in Daredevil demonstrates how effectively he can make an ordinary conversation feel like a warning, even when his character appears perfectly composed. As Paulie, D’Onofrio could alternate between genuine affection and absolute coldness, making Henry’s eventual expulsion from his inner circle especially painful. And frankly, watching D’Onofrio prepare dinner in prison while casually overseeing a criminal empire sounds like a scene worth the price of admission.
Bobby Cannavale As Billy Batts (Originally Frank Vincent)
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Some characters barely appear in a movie yet manage to change its entire trajectory. Billy Batts is one of them. Frank Vincent’s character makes the catastrophic mistake of humiliating Tommy during a celebration, repeatedly reminding him of his childhood job shining shoes. What follows is one of Goodfellas‘ most notorious acts of violence, setting off consequences that eventually catch up with everyone involved. Billy’s inability to read the room proves rather expensive.
Bobby Cannavale would have an absolute field day with the role. His portrayal of Gyp Rosetti in Boardwalk Empire proved he could turn a casual remark into a potentially deadly confrontation, and he possesses the swagger needed for Billy’s spectacularly ill-advised provocation. There’s something particularly entertaining about imagining Cannavale and Barry Keoghan attempting to out-intimidate one another across a crowded bar. The scene requires two actors who can be funny until they’re suddenly frightening. Cannavale would make Billy’s fatal miscalculation almost enjoyable to watch.
David Krumholtz As Morrie Kessler (Originally Chuck Low)
Morrie Kessler is a man who desperately needs to learn when to shut up. Played by Chuck Low in the original film, the flamboyant wig salesman repeatedly pesters Jimmy Conway about the money he’s owed following the Lufthansa heist. Unfortunately, demanding payment from an increasingly paranoid gangster who has already begun eliminating loose ends is hardly a brilliant strategy for staying alive. Morrie is aggravating, but it’s difficult to blame him for wanting his money.
David Krumholtz could bring an entertaining combination of desperation and misplaced confidence to the character. His performances in The Deuce and Oppenheimer demonstrate considerable range, but Morrie would give him an opportunity to embrace his comic instincts. The challenge would be making Morrie genuinely irritating without losing the audience’s sympathy when his situation becomes dangerous. Krumholtz has the expressive personality to make every conversation about money feel like a personal emergency. He’d also look terrific in one of those ridiculous wigs.
Goodfellas
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