WhileAlfonso Cuaronmay be well on his way towards winning Netflix its first ever Best Picture Oscar, there’s already reason to believe the streaming service will be back in the awards race next year withThe Irishman. The gangster drama is the highly anticipated next film from directorMartin Scorsese, and it’s been a long time coming. The film is an adaptation of theCharles BrandtbookI Heard You Paint Housesand is a decades-spanning look back on the life of a hitman, withRobert De Nirofilling the lead role with a cast that also includesAl PacinoandJoe Pesci.
Given that the principal actors are all in their 70s, bringing the characters’ younger days to life onscreen presented a challenge. But Scorsese hit upon the idea of using cutting-edge technology to de-age these actors, much the way Marvel Studios has been doing on films likeAnt-Manand the upcomingCaptain Marvel.
The extent of the de-aged footage has been unclear until now, as Scorsese’s longtime editorThelma SchoonmakertellsYahoo Movies UKthat the entire first half ofThe Irishmanwill feature the younger versions of the characters:
“We’re youthifying the actors in the first half of the movie. And then the second half of the movie they play their own age. So that’s a big risk. We’re having that done by Industrial Light and Magic Island, ILM. That’s a big risk.”
Schoonmaker saysThe Irishmanis an “expensive project” and notes that because so much of the film is visual effects heavy, the editing process has been unique:
“We’re seeing some of it, but I haven’t gotten a whole scene where they’re young, and what I’m going to have to see, and what Marty’s going to have to see is, ‘How is it affecting the rest of the movie when you see them young?’ Interestingly, we’ve only been able to screen for very few people, because they’re wearing some things on their faces, and on their clothes, that tracks their movement… Nobody minds. Nobody minds watching them play young, because they’re gripped.”
Indeed, Scorsese tried for years to get the project off the ground, but it was so expensive that no studio was willing to foot the bill—until Netflix came along.
As for the film’s tone, Schoonmaker reiterated that “it’s notGoodfellas,” echoingcomments that Scorsese made previouslythat likened the film to more of a reflective piece about a man looking back on his life choices.
Netflix has yet to set a firm release date forThe Irishman, but the movie is expected to hit theaters this fall. And if Netflix is really serious about awards, they’ll likely mimic the release strategy ofRoma: a splashy debut at a couple of film festivals followed by a robust theatrical exhibition ahead of the film’s streaming debut.
