Well, this is a surprising turn of events. We had already known that things were finally gearing up on Martin Scorsese‘s next film, the mob hitman tale The Irishman. Last year STX Entertainment secured rights to the project and was expected to partner with Paramount Pictures on its eventual production and release. Paramount had just finished working with Scorsese on Silence, but with a regime change now in effect at the studio, many were wondering if The Irishman might once again fall apart. Worry no longer!
According to Indiewire, The Irishman is out at Paramount & STX and in at Netflix. The streaming juggernaut is in the process of securing worldwide rights to the gangster picture. The plan now is for the film to see release sometime in 2019, with a day-and-date release on the streaming platform and in limited theaters. The latter move is, of course, to secure a qualifying Oscar run for the picture when the time comes.
Robert De Niro remains on board the project to star as Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a real-life mob hitman who supposedly killed, among many others, Jimmy Hoffa. The film, which is penned by Steve Zaillian, is partially based on the book I Heard You Paint House by Charles Brandt. The likes of Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Jack Nicholson have circled the project in the past. Pacino is still expected to be a part of the production, although no deal for him has been finalized at this time.
Whether or not Pesci and Nicholson will jump on board as well is anyone’s guess. The former seems content with retirement these days. As for Nicholson, the actor recently shocked everyone by signing onto a new project at Paramount (a remake of Toni Erdmann), so anything is possible at this stage.
Regardless of who else Marty pulls in for his return to mafioso crime cinema, his next film is locked in place and it will see him reuniting with his old reguler, Robert De Niro. That alone is a beautiful thing. The fact that it is coming courtesy of Netflix, of all places, is both a surprise and a sign of cinema’s future. The times they are a changin’.
