The Irishman to premiere on the final night of London Film Festival 2019

Veteran filmmaker Martin Scorcese's Netflix original, The Irishman, has been chosen to close the BFI London Film Festival.

The film, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, will premiere at the festival's final night, October 13."

This is a major occasion for film lovers and I cannot wait to share this film with UK audiences," Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director said in a statement posted on the fest's official website. The director and the cast are expected to attend the premiere. 

Adapted from the Charles Brandt novel, I Heard You Paint Houses, the screenplay has been written by Steve Zaillian, who earlier collaborated with Scorcese in Gangs of New York. 

The Irishman is Scorsese's first feature directorial since 2016's Silence. "This picture was many years in the making. It's a project that Robert De Niro and I started talking about a long time ago, and we wanted to make it the way it needed to be made. It's also a picture that all of us could only have made at this point in our lives. We're all very excited to be bringing The Irishman to London," he said.

The film will be released in select theatres and on Netflix later this year.