Martin Scorsese, the man behind Goodfellas, Casino and Gangs of New York, is ready to release his biggest crime epic to date, The Irishman.

The film has been a long time coming and is said to have cost more than $140 million to make.

Based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, it follows real-life hitman and WWII veteran Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), who was allegedly involved in the infamous disappearance of union boss Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).

It’s a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.

Techradar has some insight into why it cost so much to make.

As the story takes place over the course of multiple decades, director Martin Scorsese and his team have employed expensive and cutting-edge de-aging technology to make some of its cast appear up to 30 years younger in certain sections of the film.

The extensive de-aging work can also be blamed for the long wait leading to the film’s release, with Scorsese’s longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker telling Yahoo in February that the production is “youthifying the actors in the first half of the movie,” and that “the second half of the movie they play their own age. So that’s a big risk.”

Judging by the trailer, they did a pretty good job. Check it out:

You can catch the film on Netflix later this year.

[source:techradar]