Martin Scorsese‘s newest passion project is finally here: “The Irishman.” The film covers the real story of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a labor union leader and infamous mafia hitman of the 1940s. Much of Sheeran’s notoriety today comes from a death-bed confession, where he claimed that he had murdered fellow union leader Jimmy Hoffa. The complex story of murder, war, and mystery will be upfront and center in Scorsese’s new feature, and as announced earlier this week, it’ll be making its world premiere at the New York Film Festival in late September.
Here’s the synopsis:
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Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler, and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries, and connections to mainstream politics.
The film will feature Robert De Niro as Frank Sheeran, Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa, and Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino. Cinematic history will undoubtedly be made with three of the most iconic ‘mob’ actors working on one project. Anna Paquin will star as Peggy Sheeran, Harvey Keitel as Angelo Bruno, and Ray Romano as Bill Bufalino. Additional roles feature Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Graham, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Jack Huston, Kathrine Narducci, Jesse Plemons, Domenick Lombardozzi, Paul Herman, Gary Basaraba and Marin Ireland.
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“The Irishman” was filmed across the east coast from August 2017 to March 2018. Locations included New Jersey, Yonkers, and around Long Island in Queens, White Plains, and Huntington Station. It is reportedly Scorsese’s most expensive project, with a cost soaring at $160 million. Much of this cost stems from the post-production effects needed to make De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci look 30 years younger throughout certain scenes. We’re willing to bet that plenty of hopeful young lookalikes would’ve loved to put “Young De Niro” on their resumes, but alas.
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“The Irishman” will be released to select theaters in late 2019 sometime after its NYFF world premiere which will be followed by a streaming release on Netflix. Watch the first official trailer, this one with actual footage, below.
