Scorsese had a potential deal in place with Paramount — the studio that recently backed Silence — but with Paramount Chair Brad Grey on his way out the door, the studio was less enthusiastic about taking a risk on a Scorsese gangster picture with an aging Robert De Niro, and Netflix stepped up to the plate.
Now, IndieWire breaks the news that Netflix is close to finalizing a deal to distribute Scorsese’s original film, The Irishman, to their 93 million subscribers.
Martin Scorsese, coming off of the contemplative and deeply personal Silence, has been looking tor return to the criminal underground of such films a Goodfellas and Casino, and has circled an adaptation of Charles Brandt’s book I Heard You Paint Houses as his portal back into that world.