Silence release date sets Martin Scorsese's passion project up for Oscars

Jesuit priests could be competing against dancing Ryan Gosling at next year's Academy Awards

Liam Neeson plays a persecuted Jesuit in Martin Scorsese's Silence

Martin Scorsese’s upcoming movie Silence has been given a release date that all-but-cements it as a major Oscars contender.

The historical drama has been the Oscar-winning director’s passion project since 1991. It had been rumoured to reach cinemas at the end of this year, but film fans were waiting on Paramount to make a decision, with the studio now confirming that it will arrive on 23 December in the US ahead of a wider release in January, just in time for the Academy Awards nominations.

Based on an novel of the same name by Japanese author Shūsaku Endō, the story centres on two Jesuits sent to Japan to preach Christianity and seek out their mentor in the year 1670. Once there, they endure brutal persecution at the time of the Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians) following the defeat of the Shimabara Rebellion.

Silence stars Liam Neeson, Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield in the leads, with Ciaran Hinds, Tadanobu Asano and Shinya Tsukamoto also among the cast. The screenplay has been penned by Jay Cocks, who worked with Scorsese on Gangs of New York and The Age of Innocence.

Scorsese has spoken about his two decades-long commitment to the film before, telling Deadline in January that Silence has been his “obsession”. “There are no answers, we all know that. You try to live in the grace that you can, but there are no answers. The point is, you keep looking,” he said. “People tell you science tells us everything. Science doesn’t! We don’t really know everything.

“The very nature of secularism is really fascinating to me, but at the same time do you wipe away what could be more enriching in your life, which is an appreciation or some sort of search for that which is spiritual and transcends? Silence is just something that I’m drawn to in that way. It’s been an obsession, it has to be done. It’s a strong, wonderful true story, a thriller in a way, but it deals with those questions.”

Silence has been pushed back repeatedly over the years, with Scorsese opting to make The Departed, Shutter Island, Hugo and The Wolf of Wall Street first. Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio del Toro were among the actors originally in negotiations to star in 2009, with production finally beginning in Taiwan in 2014 with a budget of $50 million.

Judging by reactions at the 2016 film festivals, Silence could find itself competing with the Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone-led musical La La Land for Best Picture at the Oscars ceremony on 26 February. It is not unusual for Scorsese to skip the festival circuit and with 12 Oscar nominations already under his belt, this is certainly one to watch.