NEW YORK: Netflix on Wednesday unveiled the trailer for Martin Scorsese's long-awaited film, The Irishman - a major project for the streaming giant featuring powerhouse Oscar winners Robert de Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, all digitally enhanced to look younger.
The crime epic tells the story of powerful union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), crime boss Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran (De Niro), who claimed he killed more than 25 people on their orders.
The adaptation has been a passion project for Scorsese. It’s an adaptation of Charles Brandt’s 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses, which is about the life of Sheeran, a World War II veteran who becomes a mob hitman for the Bufalino crime family.
SCREENGRABThe trailer introduces Sheeran as he meets Jimmy Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters, and as he goes about on his work.
This is the first time that Pacino has worked with Scorsese, and the ninth that De Niro has collaborated with the Oscar-winning veteran director.
Producers have used anti-aging digital effects - based on a technology first developed by Industrial Light & Magic, founded by George Lucas.
The result is striking, particularly on the 75-year-old De Niro, who is made to look decades younger.
The film falls squarely in the wheelhouse of Scorsese, known for other crime epics like Goodfellas, Casino and The Departed. This time, he is working within the confines of real-life events.
SCREENGRABThe project has been in development for a decade and was rejected by several studios, mainly because of its high cost, before finding a home at Netflix.
According to several reports, the budget has exceeded $140 million.
The film will make its world premiere on opening night of the New York Film Festival on September 27. Getting the film is a coup for the festival, as it is one of the most anticipated movies of 2019.
Netflix plans to release the film in theaters before year's end to ensure its eligibility for the Oscars.
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