Martin Scorsese's The Irishman Looks Like Being Netflix's Biggest Film Ever

In case you hadn't noticed, Netflix is having a real go at breaking into the world of blockbuster movies - and the streaming service is going to continue that in bigger fashion than ever in 2019 with the release of The Irishman.

If the Hollywood elite wasn't already taking Netflix seriously, the line-up for this one will surely make them sit up and take notice of the online giant.

First off, it's going to be directed by Martin Scorsese. Yes, the same man who brought us Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Departed, and The Wolf of Wall Street is signed on to make this, too.

Then you've got to have a look at the cast. There are some gigantic names on the list.

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino will play two of the central roles. Alongside them will be names such as Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci, Anna Paquin, and Ray Romano.

Wow. That's a lot of star turns in the same film.

Netflix has backed Scorsese financially, as well. This film is the most expensive of his career with a budget of around $105m (82m).

So, what do we know about it?

Well, to begin with it's a mob movie - pretty obvious given the director and casting decisions - set in New York City.

It is based on a book called I Hear You Paint Houses, a story by Charles Brandt that follows gangster/assassin Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran who is involved with - perhaps trying to bump off - another mobster, Jimmy Hoffa.

Sheeran is played by De Niro, with Pacino in the role of Hoffa. The pair were spotted together working on the film in New York City a while back. At that time, everyone only noticed that De Niro was wearing huge platform heels to allow him to tower over the much taller Pacino.

Scorsese spoke earlier in the year about how, even though he's made mob movies before, this one is different.

He told the Independent: "This is different, I think it is. I admit that there are - you know, Goodfellas and Casino have a certain style that I created for them - it's on the page in the script actually.

"Putting Goodfellas together was almost like an afterthought, at times I was kind of rushing, I felt I'd already done it because I'd played it all out in terms of the camera moves and the editing and that sort of thing.

"The style of the picture, the cuts, the freeze-frames, all of this was planned way in advance, but here it's a little different."

Well, we'll have to wait until later this year to find out all about it.

Featured Image Credit: Backgrid

Topics: Entertainment News, Movies, TV and Film, Celebrity, US Entertainment, Netflix, Hollywood

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a freelance journalist and LADbible contributor. He graduated from University of London with a BA in Philosophy before studying for a Masters in Journalism at the University of Salford. He has previously written for the M.E.N Group as well as working for several top professional sports clubs. Contact him on [email protected]

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