Movie News: Martin Scorsese's Mob Movie 'The Irishman' Heads to Netflix; James G…

The Irishman: Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, starring Robert De Niro, is heading to Netflix. It’s based on I Heard You Paint Houses, a book by Charles Brandt that told the story of a mob hitman who claimed he knew what really happened to long-missing union leader Jimmy Hoffa. De Niro will play the hitman; so-called “de-aging” technology will make the 73-year-old actor look younger for the role. Al Pacino and others are in negotiations to join the cast. The movie is aiming for release in 2019. [Indiewire]

Hitman: Director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, above left) says he “tried to make a Hitman movie a few years ago. But the producers at the time didn’t want to make it R rated, so they passed.” Subsequently, two movies based on the popular video game were made and both were R-rated. Gunn later added: “In all fairness, if I had done Hitman I probably would have been out of the running for [Guardians of the Galaxy]. So it all turned out okay in the end.” [Twitter]

Native Son: Rashid Johnson (above), an artist and photographer, will direct Native Son, based on Richard Wright’s classic novel. First published in 1940, the story follows a young African-American man who has grown up in poverty in Chicago; it was previously adapted for the big screen in 1986. The new version will be Johnson’s feature debut. Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks will write the screenplay. [THR]

Kong: Skull Island Video: In a new video for Kong: Skull Island, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, cast members Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and others speak about the grand scale of the movie and why everyone should see it in IMAX and 3D. It opens on March 10. [Movieclips]

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