‘Criminal Justice’: Robert De Niro to replace James Gandolfini in HBO limited series

It has been a little while since we have heard much in the way of news from “Criminal Justice,” the HBO limited series that revolves around a low-grade lawyer named Jack Stone who appoints himself the attorney for a Pakistani cab driver (played by Riz Ahmed) who wakes up after a night of partying to find out that there is a woman dead in his bed, with multiple knife wounds. This is based on an series on the BBC, and you can already sense what some of the layers here are going to be.

The unfortunate drama associated with this show is that the Stone character was originally going to be played by James Gandolfini in his major return to the network that aired “The Sopranos.” However, the actor tragically passed away earlier this year, leaving a huge hole in the industry and in this project.

Luckily, HBO has finally decided now just what they are going to do with this project. This week, Robert De Niro was announced as the replacement to Gandolfini on the series, which is a major coup for the producers to be able to replace one legend with another. In addition to that, it was also announced that James will receive a posthumous executive producer credit for when “Criminal Justice” airs as a form of tribute to just what he has meant to the series already, and to the work that has been put out on HBO ever since “The Sopranos” really pushed them into the mainstream.

What do you think about casting De Niro in this role. Is it a worthy replacement, or do you think that “Criminal Justice” should have just ended with Gandolfini’s passing? Be sure to share your thoughts below. Meanwhile, we’ll have more news on the show when it becomes available.

Photo: HBO