Martin Scorsese's movie that took 2 decades to make will be released this year

silence paramount final

("Silence."Paramount)

Everyone brace yourselves — a Martin Scorsese movie will be released this year.

Paramount announced Monday that it will release the Oscar-winning director's passion project "Silence" on December 23.

The story — which the auteur of such classics as "Goodfellas" and "Taxi Driver" has been trying to get off the ground for two decades — follows Jesuit priests in 17th-century Japan as they face violence and persecution.

It stars Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, and Adam Driver.

Paramount will first release the movie in limited release on December 23 to qualify it for the Academy Awards, then open it in wide release sometime in January 2017.

"Silence" is based on the 1966 Shûsaku Endô novel, and adapted for the screen by Scorsese's longtime collaborator Jay Cocks ("Gangs of New York"). Producer Gaston Pavlovich’s company Fabrica de Cine provided the lead financing for the picture, alongside Executive Producer Dale A. Brown of Sharpsword Films.

After 12 Oscar nominations, Scorsese finally won the best director award for 2006's "The Departed."

NOW WATCH: The directors of 'Catfish' and 'Nerve' reveal how to make it in Hollywood without going to film school

More From Business Insider

• This movie doesn't open until January but its studio is already expecting a $115 million loss
  

• Disney doesn't expect its 'Star Wars' spinoff to rake in as much money as 'The Force Awakens'
  

• Here's how movie star and Oscar-winning producer Brad Pitt rose to fame