Remember how movies died in the summer of 2016? Don't worry, Scorsese is back to (hopefully) end this year in film on a high note.

For what feels like forever, the movie-verse has been wondering when Martin Scorsese's religious epic Silence will get released. A November release was rumored, then recent chatter was hinting at December, and now we finally have a hard date. According to Variety, the next Scorsese picture will arrive on screens December 23. Following a limited release in time for the holidays, Paramount will then open the film wide in January. Beyond sheer excitement for any film fan, this news also signals something else: awards.

With an awards season release the Scorsese historical drama will certainly spice up the Oscar race. Silence, based on Shusaku Endo’s 1966 novel of the same name, follows two 17th century Portuguese Jesuit priests who travel to Japan where their faith is tested. Little else is known about the film, which has yet to get an official synopsis, but if the filmmaker's passion project is anything like his last religious historical epic, Kundun, it's sure to be quite a treat.

The film stars Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver with a screenplay written by Scorsese and Jay Cocks and is rumored to be his longest film to date – 3 hours and 15 minutes! Just know that as crappy of a year as 2016 seems, there's a Scorsese film waiting for us at the end.

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