Robert De Niro, 80, to reprise Taxi Driver role and iconic 'You talkin' to me?' ... trends now
Robert De Niro is reportedly reprising his title role from Martin Scorsese's classic 1976 film Taxi Driver.
The 80-year-old actor will be back behind the wheel as Travis Bickle — or at least spouting some of his iconic lines — when he films a series of ads for Uber, The Sun reported on Tuesday.
According to a source, De Niro will repeat the widely quoted line 'You talkin' to me?' as part of the ads.
DailyMail.com has reached out to a representative for De Niro for comment.
The news follows recent forays into advertising that De Niro has made recently, following multiple costly divorces and splits from the mothers of his seven children.
Old school: Robert De Niro, 80, will reprise his iconic Taxi Driver character in a new series of ads for Uber, The Sun reported on Tuesday; seen in May in Cannes, France
A classic: De Niro is reportedly playing a version of the taxi driver–turned–obsessive vigilante Travis Bickle. The 1976 film, directed by Martin Scorsese, is considered one of the greatest of all time
Taxi Driver is considered a key New York City film, but the Uber ads are making a puzzling choice to reportedly film in London.
A source gushed that the ad series was 'a great idea,' adding, 'Taxi Driver is one of the most iconic films of all time.'
'But he’ll certainly get some stick for it too,' they continued.
The source noted that De Niro was channeling nostalgia for his star-making performances, though Taxi Driver is an unusually dark and violent film to be referencing in an ad.
'A lot of people feel like some of these classic films are his best work, and signing up to commercials is selling out a bit, but obviously he’s had a very expensive personal life,' the source said.
De Niro was previously one of the faces of the UK bakery brand Warburtons, which has also gotten celebrity endorsements from George Clooney, Sylvester Stallone, and most recently, Samuel L. Jackson.
Back in 2019, the Oscar winner appeared in a campaign for the appropriately named electric Kia Niro car, and he has also done ads for Santander bank and American Express.
The string of recent ads, which were previously a rarity for the actor, may help to fund his expensive divorce from his second wife Grace Hightower. He filed for divorce from the philanthropist in 2018 after marrying in 1997.
The two were required to sell their $20 million home, and De Niro's alimony arrangement requires him to pay her $1 million per year until one of them dies or she remarries.
Paying his debts: 'A lot of people feel like some of these classic films are his best work, and signing up to commercials is selling out a bit, but obviously he’s had a very expensive personal life,' the source said; seen in June in NYC
