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.
Related: The Irishman First Look Reunites De Niro & Pesci, Premiere Announced for NYFF
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon presented the exclusive trailer for Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman tonight, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. The Irishman hits theaters November 1 and on Netflix November 27.
One of the most concerning aspects of Martin Scorsese’s latest crime opus is the de-aging of its characters. Along with the new trailer, Netflix also released several images showing Robert De Niro’s character at various stages in his life, giving us a good look at the de-aging technology being utilized, which is also on full display in the latest footage. The four new images show De Niro across the decades.
The story here is pulled from Charles Brandt’s book “I Heard You Paint Houses.” Robert De Niro is playing Frank Sheeran at various stages during his life, including his time spent in World War II, which we see in one of the images. Later in life, Sheeran became a mob hitman and was allegedly involved with the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.
Also included in this stellar ensemble are Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, and Anna Paquin. All that is missing is Leonardo DiCaprio. It has been noted that the movie’s massive $160 million budget was partly because of the extensive digital effects needed to make the entire cast look young again. The effects have also been blamed for an unexpectedly lengthy post-production process. Martin Scorsese says this about de-aging his legendary cast of actors.
“Why I’m concerned, we’re all concerned is that we’re so used to watching them as the older faces. When we put them all together, it cuts back and forth. … Now, it’s real. Now, I’m seeing it. Now, certain shots need more work on the eyes, need more work on why these exactly the same eyes from the plate shot, but the wrinkles and things have changed. Does it change the eyes at all? If that’s the case, what was in the eyes that I liked? Was it intensity? Was it gravitas? Was it threat?”
The Irishman will be coming to limited theaters this November. But it won’t be playing at the local AMC. Those who don’t catch it on the big screen won’t have to wait long, as it will be streaming on Netflix starting November 27. You can take a look at the images of a de-aged De Niro below. The video comes courtesy of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
