(Mickey Rourke to play that vicious killer who you can’t help but want to hug the sh’t out of)

The backstory: In 2006, Phil Carlo wrote a book about mafia hitman Richard “The Ice Man” Kuklinski, which was then optioned by producer Lorenzo “Asteroids” Di Bonaventura.  But when Carlo heard Bonaventura wanted to cast male stripper Channing Tatums in the lead, Carlo refused to extend Di Bonaventura’s option on the book.  At the time, Carlo said he thought Mickey Rourke would be a better fit.  Which brings us to today, and Page Six reporting that Mickey Rourke has agreed to star.

After our story appeared in August, Rourke met with Carlo. “We hit it off beautifully,” Carlo said. “We’re producing it together. We’ll shoot in the spring in New York, New Jersey and Florida.” “He’s really looking forward to being the Ice Man, and I think he’ll do a great job,” Carlo told Page Six yesterday. “He’s talking about it being his ‘Raging Bull.’ ”

Just for the fun of it, Kuklinski killed 50 vagrants under the West Side Highway before he was 18. “Because it was bums, the police had no idea there was a serial killer on the loose,” said Carlo. Then, Kuklinski turned pro and claimed 150 more victims for the Gambino family, using guns, knives, strangulation and poison.

I for one am shocked that an Italian guy wanted to make a movie and the first actor he thought of was Mickey Rourke.  And that the first comparison he threw out was Raging Bull.  Truly shocked.  I will bet $1000 that when Carlo met with Rourke he pretended to shadow box him at first and then went “Ehhh!” and slapped him on the back and then they went out for a nice plate a spaghetti.

ROURKE:  “So this hit man… did he have a parrot?”

(Frankly, I’m more scared by the picture on the left.  Is the butler there because… I got served?)

Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura was recently trying to extend his option on a book about a mafia hitman, but the author turned him down… because he couldn’t stomach the thought of Channing Tatum in the lead role.

Phil Carlo tells us that after he penned “The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer” [about mob hitman Richard Kuklinski] in 2006, the book was optioned by di Bonaventura, producer of Transformers and G.I. Joe.

When the 18-month option ran out last month, di Bonaventura asked to extend the contract for two more weeks [don't you normally have to pay for that?  Isn't that like going to a restaurant and "asking" for a steak?], hoping he could complete financing for the movie. But Carlo says that when he heard Tatum was being wooed to star, he decided not to go ahead.

“I had to turn him down. I really hated the idea of Channing Tatum. I told di Bonaventura that this is not the guy to play one of the most feared killers of the 20th Century,” Carlo said. “I think Mickey Rourke would really be good. He’s got that sense of danger, and there’s a similarity between the two. But it’s not Channing Tatum.” [NY Post via Videogum]

Four out of five dentists agree, that’s a burn.  But that’s really mean.  Channing Tatum may have only played mumbly wiggers thus far, but… uh… at least he’s not Cam Gigandet?  And I know this is neither here nor there, but I like to imagine Channing Tatum and Josh Hartnett sitting across the table from each other playing “Go Fish.”  So much squinting!