Martin Scorsese's 'Silence' Gets Christmas Release

Martin Scorsese's two-decades-in-making film Silence will be hitting theatres in December, allowing the film to become eligible for awards season consideration.

Paramount made the announcement earlier this week that the movie will be released on Dec. 23. Initially, a limited release, the movie will have a larger rollout in January, although dates for which is still under discussion.

The movie, which is said to be Scorsese's passion project, is based on the book Silence by Japanese author Shusaku Endo. He had apparently been wanting to make the movie since 1991. Scorsese's long-time collaborator Jay Cocks has adapted it for the screen.

The movie is the story of Jesuits priests in 17th century Japan who face persecution and violence testing their beliefs. It stars Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver as young Jesuits priests on a missionary journey to Japan. Garfield plays Father Rodrigues who arrives in Japan after hearing that his mentor has forsaken the church. Liam Neeson plays their mentor, and Ken Watanabe is appearing as Rodrigues' Japanese interpreter.

Given that it's a Martin Scorsese movie, there are expectations that this movie has the potential to have mass appeal despite its subject while remaining Oscar-worthy. Added to that is the strong star cast, which could result in powerful performances.  However the movie is currently at three hours' length which could be a dampener for viewers. Reports indicate that Scorsese is trying cut down the length to manageable levels.

This is Scorsese's fifth directorial release with Paramount, with his earlier forays Hugo and The Wolf of Wall Street getting a total of 16 Oscar nominations winning five.

A December release would see the movie facing stiff competition. Other movies being released then are big budget blockbusters such as Jennifer Lawrence-starrer Passengers, Assassin's Creed and the critically acclaimed A Monster Calls. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story would have also been released recently.