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(L-R) Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro.
Their next collaboration, the gangster movie "The Irishman," has been snatched up by Netflix, according to Indiewire.
The project, which has been in the works for decades and will mark the ninth time Oscar winners Scorsese and De Niro have worked together, is an adaptation of the Charles Brandy book "I Heard You Paint Houses," which looks at hitman Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, who allegedly told Brandy for the book that he killed Jimmy Hoffa.
Netflix is planning to release the movie, which is reportedly starting production around now, in 2019. That will include a limited Oscar-qualifying theatrical release, according to Indiewire.
Also starring Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, and Joe Pesci, the $100 million-budgeted mobster movie will also use "Rogue One"-like visual effects to make De Niro and other actors look decades younger in flashback scenes.
This is just the latest example of how Netflix is becoming a major force in movies (as it already is for TV). "The Irishman" was to be released by Paramount, which was behind Scorsese's last movie, "Silence," but the streaming giant looks to have swooped in at the right time. Paramount is facing turmoil at the moment with rumors that studio head Brad Grey is leaving.
A source close to the deal told Indiewire: "Scorsese's movie is a risky deal, and Paramount is not in the position to take risks. This way, he can make the project he wants."