Netflix Tipped In Acquisition Of Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman' Movie

Netflix has picked up Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" movie, according to sources, and is set to finalize a deal that will see it released to its customers around the globe. The movie is a big-budget project, one that costs about $100 million and features Hollywood star Robert De Niro. The revelation, assuming it proves true, is a profound one, as it was originally believed that Paramount Pictures would be the entity behind the movie.

The info comes from Indiewire which cites its own source 'close to the deal.' According to that source, Paramount isn't in a position to take risks on projects right now in light of losing its chairman, and so the movie was repackaged for elsewhere, and that elsewhere is set to be Netflix. The streaming service, for its part, hasn't commented on the report.

"The Irishman" is a gangster movie based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt, and it revolves around a hitman. It looks like it may be in the pipeline for a 2019 release, though the finer details aren't ironed out yet. Sources claim there will be a limited Oscar-qualifying release, too.

For its part, sources say Netflix has ultimately won world-wide rights to the movie, grabbing the film that was once part of a bidding war betwixt Universal, Lionsgate, and Fox. The Irishman was previously picked up by STX Entertainment for $50 million, a deal that is apparently no longer going through.