Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’: Netflix Release Date, Plot, Cast & Trailer

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The Irishman - Netflix

The Irishman – Copyright. TriBeCa Pictures

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman has already been picked as one of the biggest films of 2019. With such huge anticipation for the upcoming Original, The Irishman may even become Netflix’s most successful film at next year’s Academy Awards. For those interested in all of the details for Scorsese’s The Irishman, here’s everything you’ll need to know, including the Netflix release date, plot, cast, and trailer.

The Irishman is a Netflix Original American crime biopic based on the career of mobster hitman Frank Sheeran. Martin Scorsese is directing his first Original title for the streaming service, making him the second Oscar-winning director to do so after Alfonso Cuarón. It’s one of the big blockbuster movies coming to Netflix this fall, with The Laundromat and 6 Underground being two other examples.

The Irishman – Picture: Netflix

The hype behind The Irishman has already attracted a huge amount of momentum, with many familiar faces of Scorsese’s previous titles returning to work for the director once more.


What is the plot of The Irishman?

Frank Sheeran is a World War 2 veteran and a former hitman for the mob. His time spent during the war in Italy made him a talented killer. Utilizing his skills Frank to meet ends meet became a hitman for the mob. Now in his old age, Frank reflects back on the moments and hits that defined his mob career.

Especially his role in the disappearance of his old friend Jimmy Hoffa, a former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters who went missing in 1975, never to be seen again.


Who is in the cast of The Irishman?

Many actors who have worked under the legendary director have returned once more.

The cast of The Irishman is the following:

Role Cast Member Where have I seen/heard them before?
Frank Sheeran Robert De Niro The Godfather 2 | Raging Bull | Taxi Driver
Jimmy Hoffa Al Pacino The Godfather | The Godfather 2 | Scarface
Russell Bufalino Joe Pesci Goodfellas | Casino | Home Alone
Angelo Bruno Harvey Keitel Pulp Fiction | Taxi Driver | Reservoir Dogs
Peggy Sheeran Anna Paquin The Piano | X-Men | True Blood
Felix ‘Skinny Razor’ DiTullio Bobby Cannavale The Station Agent | Ant-Man | Blue Jasmine
Joe ‘Crazy Joe’ Gallo Sebastian Maniscalco Green Book | Tag | The House
Bill Bufalino Ray Romano Everybody Loves Raymond | The Big Sick | Ice Age
Tony Provenzano Stephen Graham This is England | Snatch | Pirates of the Caribbean
Chuckle O’Brien Jesse Plemons Breaking Bad | Black Mass | Game Night

 


Who was Jimmy Hoffa?

James Riddle Hoffa or better known as Jimmy Hoffa was a for former American labor union leader and stood as president for the Internation Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1957 until 1971.  The former labor leader had spent four years in prison after actions he had undertaken during his presidency but was eventually pardoned by President Richard Nixon.

Even by his mid-20s, Hoffa had already become an important figure for the IBT. Hoffa’s involvement in organized crime would eventually become his downfall.

Convicted of jury tampering, attempted bribery, and fraud, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1967. After his pardon, his attempt to return to the ITB would result in his disappearance. Supposedly, treading on the toes of the mob, who also held influence in the ITB, would eventually dispose of Jimmy Hoffa in 1975. It took 7 years before the police officially declared his death in 1982.

Jimmy Hoffa testifying before a Senate committee


Was The Irishman Netflix’s biggest production to date?

The Irishman is Martin Scorsese’s largest project to date, costing upwards of $159 Million.

Filming occurred in New York City from August 2017 until March 2018. Why the film hasn’t been released yet, despite filming ending in early 2018, is because of the post-production.

There are some extensive de-aging visuals that have gone into production to make certain actors look younger. Such CGI is costly, but the technology has greatly improved in recent years.

How involved in the production was Netflix?

The film is considered to be a passion project of the legendary director, and without the influence of Netflix, The Irishman may never have been given the green light.  Robert De Niro has even stated the importance of Netflix’s back of the film, saying:

“The bottom line is we would not have been able to make the movie the way we would have wanted to if we didn’t have the money that Netflix could give us”

In the clip below, legendary actor Robert De Niro and producer Jane Rosenthal discuss the film on the Today show. Rosenthal worked as a producer on The Irishman and is also acting CEO alongside Robert De Niro at Tribeca Enterprises.

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Are there any pictures of The Irishman?

There are plenty of photos available to be viewed on IMDb for The Irishman. We’ve chosen some of our favorites from the on set photos, which can be seen below:

The imges above are courtesy of Netflix and TriBeCa Productions

In preparation for the movie’s release, we also now have the official movie poster for The Irishman.

We have more images released in preparation for the release of the film at the New York Film Festival.

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What is the run time of The Irishman?

We are still waiting on confirmation for the run time. Don’t expect the title to be a short feature-length, typically Scorsese’s titles last of least 120 Minutes.

We are fully expecting The Irishman to have a potential run time of up to 180 Minutes.


Will The Irishman be in contention for any Academy Awards?

Whether or not The Irishman receives any nominations is up to the Academy. A recent decision made by the Academy will still allow titles that have been produced by streaming services to be eligible for Academy Awards. Naturally, with the cast members involved with The Irishman, not to mention Martin Scorsese directing, the film is easily the biggest piece of Oscar bait throughout 2019.

There’s no guarantee that The Irishman will win any Oscars, but we certainly expect to see plenty of nominations. The biggest competitor to The Irishman will be Quentin Tarantino’s latest film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which releases in the summer of 2019.


Is there a Netflix trailer for The Irishman?


When is the release date for The Irishman?

First of all, The Irishman will have a theatrical release prior to its arrival on Netflix. The request for a wider theatrical release over a limited one has been requested by director Martin Scorsese. A wider theatrical release may entirely depend on the length of time the film will stay in cinemas.

AMC would be open to a wider theatrical release even though ROMA was denied in 2018. The Irishman would have to be in theatres for of least a month for AMC to distribute the film across their cinemas.

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It has been announced that The Irishman will premiere at the 57th New York Film Festival on the 27th of September.

But when is the Netflix release date?

After the collapse of the wider cinematic release deal, it has now been confirmed that The Irishman will be coming to Netflix on November 27th. That’s one day before Thanksgiving 2019 and releases on the unusual day of Wednesday, when Netflix Originals typically get stacked for Fridays.


Are you excited about the release of The Irishman? Let us know in the comments below!

Author What's on Netflix avatar

Jacob joined What's on Netflix in 2018 as a fulltime writer having worked in numerous other industries until that point. Jacob covers all things Netflix whether that's TV or movies but specializes in covering new anime and K-dramas. Resides in Norwich in the United Kingdom.

Official Netflix Synopsis: "Hit man Frank Sheeran looks back at the secrets he kept as a loyal member of the Bufalino crime family in this acclaimed film from Martin Scorsese."


Rating: R
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Anna Paquin, Jesse Plemons
Added to Netflix: November 27th, 2019