The ultimate elderly pairing? Variety reports that Tommy Lee Jones and Robert De Niro might make their first turn together in Malavita, a Luc Besson-helmed dark comedy that will star the latter as a mobster in hiding — Michelle Pfeiffer has already been cast as his arsonist wife — and the former figures in as his “stern handler [...] who checks in on the family and tries to help them assimilate to their new life overseas.” Not that I don’t like seeing the ever-great Jones get some casting, but what number was he on the list of “stern-like actors”? Zero?

Besson and Michael Caleo have adapted Tonino Benacquista‘s novel, Badfellas, in which criminal Giovanni Manzoni becomes “Fred Blake,” moves his family to Normandy, and tries to become a normal citizen — except, unilt his proclivities get the best of him and things turn violent from thereon out. The director’s credit ensures it’ll probably be very, very stupid, but I doubt De Niro, Pfeiffer, and Jones can’t make it a fun time.

Shooting on Malavita will commence in August, and Relativity will release the film in 2013.

Casting news is bound to be a come-down when it follows right after Tommy Lee Jones, but let’s move on with some other projects for the time being. Next, Variety have also learned that Cee Lo Green is joining John Carney‘s Can a Song Save Your Life?, being added to a lineup that includes Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Green’s fellow The Voice host, Adam Levine, and Catherine Keener.

The very successful hip-hop star will be playing a… “very successful hip-hop star” named Troublegum; I’d only guess he, somehow, directly impacts the main character, a woman (Knightley) who teams with a music producer (Ruffalo) when both are at troubled junctures in their lives. The British beauty probably won’t break out some hot beats and sick flows, but a mixture of musical styles should make Song more interesting, compelling, and eclectic.

Finally, Deadline tells us Paul Feig‘s police comedy, now titled The Heat, has added an internet personality: Spoken Reasons (actually named John Baker), a YouTube star who caught the director’s attention. Because of that, he’s now playing a fellow named “Terrell Rojas” in a movie with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.

Katie Dippold (Parks and Recreation) is behind the script, a “buddy” story about two members of the law — “a high-strung FBI agent” (Bullock) and “unconventional Boston cop” (McCarthy) — paired up and assigned with taking down a Russian mobster.

Feig will start shooting next month, before his Colin Firth-led remake of The Intouchables.

Would Jones make a good counterpoint to De Niro? What do you think of Song and Heat‘s recent updates?