Martin Scorsese's movie that took two decades to get made will be released this year

Everyone brace yourselves, a Martin Scorsese movie will be released this year.

Paramount announced Monday that it will release the Oscar-winning director's passion project "Silence" on December 23.

The story - which the auteur of such classics as "Goodfellas" and "Taxi Driver" has been trying to get off the ground for two decades - follows Jesuit priests in 17th century Japan as they face violence and persecution.

It stars Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, and Adam Driver.

Paramount will first release the movie in limited release on December 23 to qualify it for the Academy Awards, then open it in wide release sometime in January 2017.

"Silence" is based on the 1966 Shûsaku Endô novel, and adapted for the screen by Scorsese's longtime collaborator Jay Cocks ("Gangs of New York").

After 12 Oscar nominations, Scorsese finally won the best director award for 2006's "The Departed."