Martin Scorsese's 'Silence' Sets December 2016 Release Date

Hell. Yes. With the clock ever ticking toward the end of the year, the prospects of Martin Scorsese‘s “Silence” being released by the end of this year were beginning to look a bit grim. Back in August, the director said everything was up to the studio regarding his reportedly three-hour plus opus, and given Paramount’s ridiculous fall slate — including other awards season contenders like “Allied,” “Fences,” and “Arrival,” plus blockbuster flicks “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” and “Office Christmas Party” — it was hard to see where they would squeeze one more movie in. But indeed, they have.

READ MORE: Martin Scorsese & Steven Spielberg Praise A Legend In Trailer For ‘Mifune: The Last Samurai’ Narrated By Keanu Reeves 

“Silence” will now open on December 23rd in limited release — making it the best Christmas present a cinephile could ask for this year — with the picture going wide in January. Scorsese’s movie will enter a crowded field that weekend with “Sing,” “Passengers,” and “Assassin’s Creed” opening on December 21st, but arguably the audiences are vastly different, and again, “Silence” will only be in a few markets anyway at that time.

Based on Shüsaku Endō’s novel, and starring Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, and Adam Driver, the film is set in the 17th century and follows a pair of Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and spread the gospel of Christianity. Producer Gaston Pavlovich of Fabrica de Cine provided lead financing for the picture, and while we’ll have to see whether or not this will be an Oscar contender, let’s just be pleased Scorsese’s decades in the making passion project is finally happening and coming to theaters. [Variety]