Silence is an upcoming 2016 historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks and Scorsese, based upon the 1966 novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō. It stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Tadanobu Asano, and Ciarán Hinds. Set in the seventeenth century, it follows two young Portuguese Jesuit priests (Garfield, Driver) who face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor (Neeson) and propagate Christianity.
The film is considered a “passion project” of Scorsese’s and has been in development since 1990. When asked why he retained interest in the project for over 20 years, Scorsese stated: “As you get older, ideas go and come. Questions, answers, loss of the answer again and more questions, and this is what really interests me. Yes, the cinema and the people in my life and my family are most important, but ultimately as you get older, there’s got to be more.Much, much more. The very nature of secularism right now 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? That’s one of the reasons why I made the George Harrison documentary. 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.”
In 2009, the production began to coalesce, with Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio del Toro, and Gael García Bernal in negotiations to star. However, Silence entered a state of hiatus soon afterwards, with Scorsese deciding to work on Shutter Island and Hugo instead. In 2010, del Toro partially distanced himself from the project during promotion for The Wolfman, stating, “It would be a dream to work with Scorsese. Silence, the film we were going to do, has been pushed back but that’s definitely something that I’m really looking forward to.”
In December 2011, Scorsese stated that Silence would be his next film. He also cast uncertainty on the involvements of Day-Lewis, del Toro, and Bernal. In January 2012, Scorsese discussed the possibility of utilizing 3D for both Silence and a Frank Sinatra biopic he was developing.
The film is considered a “passion project” of Scorsese’s and has been in development since 1990. When asked why he retained interest in the project for over 20 years, Scorsese stated: “As you get older, ideas go and come. Questions, answers, loss of the answer again and more questions, and this is what really interests me. Yes, the cinema and the people in my life and my family are most important, but ultimately as you get older, there’s got to be more. Much, much more. The very nature of secularism right now 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? That’s one of the reasons why I made the George Harrison documentary. Silence is just something that I’m drawn to in that way.
Scorsese brokered several distribution deals when he attended the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. In July 2014, Paramount Pictures acquired distribution rights for the United States and eyed a late 2015 release. Discussing the film in March 2016, Winkler revealed the film was in the editing process and that the film would release “at the end of the year,” confirming a 2016 release date. In August 2016, Scorsese stated the film would be completed in October, and the 2016 release of the film depended on Paramount. The film is scheduled for a limited release on December 23, 2016, before expanding in January 2017.
