Inspired by Rick Porrello's "To Kill The Irishman: The War That Crippled The Mafia," The Irishman tells the story based on the life of mobster Danny Greene (Stevenson), who lorded over Cleveland's criminal underworld during the late 1970s. Walken is onboard to play infamous loan-sharking nightclub owner Shondor Birns, and Kilmer will portray a Cleveland cop who befriends Greene.