A Bronx Tale: One Man Show starring Chazz Palminteri:
As the writer, director, and star of the new film “A Bronx Tale: The‬ ‭ Original One Man Show,” Chazz Palminteri is taking it back to where it all began.‬ ‭

The Academy Award-nominated actor, known for his portrayals of rough-and-tumble‬ ‭ Italian characters, will premiere a new film based on his acclaimed one-man play on‬ ‭ June 13 as the opening night feature of “De Niro Con,” a special Tribeca Film event that‬ ‭ celebrates the films of Robert De Niro in honor of his 80th birthday. De Niro directed and‬ ‭ starred in the original 1993 film version of “A Bronx Tale,” now considered a classic.‬

‭ After Palminteri premiered the one-man play in Los Angeles in 1989, he famously‬ ‭ refused increasing sums of money to sell the story rights to all the major film studios. He‬ wanted to write and star in it himself. Holding out proved to be the best decision,‬ ‭ because two weeks after Palminteri turned down a million-dollar offer, De Niro showed‬ up to watch the play.‬ ‭

“I didn’t know he was there,” Palminteri recalled. “At the end, he said, ‘You should play‬ ‭ Sonny and you should write it. It’s your life. If you shake my hand, that’s the way it will‬ ‭ be.’ I made the right decision. A great director can make a great script a classic, and‬ ‭ that’s what Bob did.”‬

Palminteri has performed the stage play over 1,000 times, regularly to sold-out crowds.‬ ‭ “People love the show and it’s been selling out for years, but now they’re going to see it‬ ‭ up close — really up close and personal — because they will see every character, every‬ ‭ nuance,” he said. “If you loved it live, get ready to see the power of the film up close.”‬

Palmineri’s vision for “A Bronx Tale: The Original One Man Show” was brought to life by‬ ‭ 3 Nuts Studios, an up-and-coming indie production company formed in January 2023.‬ ‭ Consisting of Jason Nower, John J. Sheridan, and Mike “The Homeless Pimp” Lavin, 3‬ ‭ Nuts Studios’ recent credits include two Netflix comedy specials, “Speshy Weshy” with‬ ‭ Chris Distefano (2022) and “37 and Single” (2023) with Jared Freid, and two YouTube‬ ‭ comedy specials, “On the Road” (2024) with Dan Soder and “Our Time Is Up” with Colin‬ ‭ Quinn (2024).‬ ‭

“I was looking for the right people to film it,” Palminteri said of 3 Nuts Studios, “and I‬ ‭ didn’t want to do it in a conventional way. I wanted to film it like an actual movie with one‬ ‭ ‭ ‭ person playing all the characters, like I do onstage. I wanted to capture that feeling on‬ ‭ stage in a film, and I was very fortunate to meet three nuts. Jason and Michael and‬ ‭ John — they got it. They did an amazing job. It was the right people coming together‬ ‭ and everything just seemed to work perfectly.”‬

The new stage-play film of “A Bronx Tale” was shot at The Paramount in Huntington,‬ ‭ N.Y., in March 2023 in front of a yet another sold-out crowd. In the ensuing months,‬ ‭ Nower, Sheridan, and Lavin managed all editing and visual post-production work on the‬ ‭ film, working closely with Palminteri. And in September 2023 — 30 years since “A Bronx‬ ‭ Tale” first hit movie theaters — De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Jon Kilik officially came‬ ‭ aboard as executive producers after watching a private screening of the film. Chazz‬ ‭ Palminteri’s manager Brian Liebman is also an executive producer on the project.‬ ‭

“Chazz’s intention was to bring the world a version of ‘A Bronx Tale’ that De Niro‬ ‭ originally saw — the version that inspired him to make the film. This new retelling hones‬ ‭ in on the idea that all of us carry a story in our hearts about our friends, our families, and‬ ‭ our neighborhoods that is as meaningful as anything you can watch on the big screen,”‬ ‭ said Nower, noting that Palminteri was an incredible mentor for the 3 Nuts team.‬ ‭

De Niro Con, in addition to screening 13 classic Robert De Niro films, will also feature a‬ ‭ 50‬‭th‬ ‭ anniversary showing of “Mean Streets” and a conversation‬‭ between De Niro and‬ ‭ Martin Scorsese, to be moderated by the rapper Nas. De Niro Con will feature an‬ ‭ exhibition of 300 curated items from De Niro’s personal archive, such as annotated‬ ‭ manuscripts, research materials, rare photos, and costume pieces, as well as unique‬ ‭ experiences like Max Cady’s prison tattoo parlor from “Cape Fear,” where a visitor can‭ even get a real tattoo. From trivia night to a hero-sandwich competition to “Meet the‬ ‭ Parents” style polygraph tests — the list of exciting offerings goes on. Single tickets cost‬ ‭ $50 and full-festival passes start at $150. Full details can be found online at‬ ‭ tribecafilm.com/denirocon‬‭ .‬