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I realize that with “Silence” slated to open before the year is out, it’s a bit selfish and perhaps even absurd to think about what Martin Scorsese is doing next. But the director isn’t one to spend too much time putting his feet up. And if things go according to plan, just as the awards season is winding down, he’ll jump back behind the camera get another highly anticipated, much talked about movie rolling: “The Irishman.”

Production Designer and Scorsese’s frequent collaborator Dante Ferretti, who worked on “Silence,” revealed to Variety that conversations are already happening around “The Irishman” and when it might begin rolling.

READ MORE: Martin Scorsese’s New Edit Of ‘Silence’ Now Runs Less Than 3 Hours

“We’ve talked about it; but we still have to see when and how it will be shot. I never say ‘I’m doing to do this or that’ until it’s signed. Theoretically we’ve talked about shooting this film next year in February or March,” he said.

Previous reports have pegged a 2018 release date for “The Irishman,” so the timing sounds about right. The long brewing project has a script by Steve Zaillian (“Gangs Of New York,” “Schindler’s List,” “Moneyball,“ “The Night Of“), is based on the book “I Heard You Paint Houses” by Charles Brandt, and tells the true story of Frank Sheeran, a WWII veteran who led a colorful life as a high-ranking officer in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters while also dabbling in organized crime as a highly-sought-after hitman, with rumored ties to the deaths of President Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa. And while there has been plenty of talk about the potential cast — Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel — Pesci has reportedly turned down the movie, and Keitel has said he hasn’t been approached. So we’ll have to see how it shakes out.

But again, our focus should really be on “Silence,” as excited as we are about “The Irishman.” That film opens in limited release on December 23rd, and below, you can watch Scorsese talking to Japanese press about the picture via USA Today.

