It’s almost apt that Martin Scorsese’s imminent new release, Silence, centres on a painstaking pilgrimage. In many ways, the same applies to the film itself, which has spent close to three decades simmering on the brink of production. Scorsese’s stacked slate only made matters worse – at various stages, both Shutter Island and later The Wolf of Wall Street drew his attention away from the picture – and while many feared that the director’s religious opus would be sentenced to development hell forever, this Friday signals the end of that long, meandering journey.
Set to roll out across select US theatres on December 23, Paramount Pictures has pulled the trigger on one final media dump for Silence, unveiling an epic new international trailer and clip to compliment yesterday’s haul of sombre pics. Across both promos, we get a glimpse at some of the trials and tribulations that await Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver, who make tracks for feudal Japan in search of Liam Neeson’s wayward priest.
Boasting all the hallmarks of a surefire Oscar contender, Silence will be one to keep an eye on over the next few weeks as The Academy whittles down its shortlist ahead of the official Oscar nominations. But even at 74 years young, Martin Scorsese continues to be one of the most prolific directors in the business, and has taken time during the movie’s ongoing press tour to discuss future projects.
One of which is The Irishman, a long-gestating mob drama that currently has Robert De Niro and Al Pacino attached to star. It’ll start shooting in February, apparently, and plans to utilize CG technology while recounting the remarkable tale of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran.
Here’s what Scorsese had to share with Cinema Blend:
You don’t use prosthetics, make-up; they have acting and the technology is able to have them go through different time ages without the prosthetics. So we’ve seen some tests and it looks extraordinary. We were able to film Bob and just do a scene. We saw it come down to when he was like 20, 40, 60, so we’re looking forward to that, from that point of view, for The Irishman … Imagine seeing what De Niro looked like in The Godfather: Part II days, that’s pretty much how you’re going to see him again.
Also starring Tadanobu Asano (Thor) and Yosuke Kubozuka, Silence marches into select theatres on Friday, December 23, before expanding on January 1. As for The Irishman, it’s on course to enter production in February, while another of Scorsese’s brewing dramas, The Devil in the White City, is still being worked on.