This is big news. Indie Wire is reporting that Martin Scorsese’s all star “The Irishman” — a movie I wrote about 7 years ago— is going to Netflix for worldwide rights. It is NOT going to Paramount, where it was, or any other established studio.
The tide has turned.
Yes, Scorsese’s “Silence” is a bust at Paramount but that is IRRELEVANT. “Wolf of Wall Street” was huge. And a Scorsese movie with Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino is still a sure thing. A movie about hit men, no less. With Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel. I mean, come on. That’s a HIT.
In Cannes this past year, it was announced that STX was going to make the movie. They put up $50 million and said Paramount would release it. That seems to be over. It’s not clear if Fabrica di Cine is still involved.
But Netflix and Amazon are on the move, armed with cash. They’re hungry for material, and classic material at that. Scorsese may feel he’s better off trying “The Irishman” this way since his key men are out at Paramount, and his Warners contacts may also be in disarray.
So hold on…More to come…
