Martin Scorsese's long awaited film 'The Irishman' heading to Netflix

Image from The Hollywood Reporter

By Darian Scalamoni

            Even the oldest filmmakers are intrigued by some of the newest methodology when it comes to the movie industry and its hard to not recognize what streaming services like Netflix and Amazon have been doing by distributing movies. Martin Scorsese happens to be the latest to hop on the bandwagon as the legendary director is finalizing a deal for his $100 million gangster movie The Irishman to be released on Netflix, per Indiewire.

            This is truly shocking news following Paramount’s 12-year chairman Brad Grey leaving the position, Scorsese’s team brought up The Irishman which the studio deemed “too risky” and potentially wouldn’t give Scorsese free reign to do what he wants. It’s crazy to think that Netflix is apparently in a better position to finance a Martin Scorsese gangster flick that will star Robert De Niro and Al Pacino but that seems to be the world we live in now. Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, The Night Of) will pen the screenplay which he’ll adapt from Charles Brandt’s book, I Heard You Paint Houses. The book chronicles the life of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran who was a mob hitman who was supposedly involved in the killing of Jimmy Hoffa. The movie will use visual effects work to make De Niro and Pacino look younger in the film a la The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Scorsese says tests have the actors looking as young as they did within The Godfather franchise.

            Scorsese’s latest film, Silence, starring Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson and Adam Driver, was released just a couple of months ago and has garnered a few Oscar nominations. The Irishman is Scorsese’s next project and is expected to be released in 2019 with filming beginning later this year.