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As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be on Netflix. That's what Martin Scorsese is probably thinking as the legendary director's next gangster movie "The Irishman" is reported by IndieWire to have been snapped up by the streaming service.

Netflix has already poured a huge amount of money into creating and buying new movies and TV shows to stream exclusively, with great success. A-listers Will Smith, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are all working on projects for Netflix, but "The Irishman" could be Netflix's biggest coup yet. Martin Scorsese directing Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci? That's huge.

Set for release in 2018, the film could mark Netflix's best shot for a big splash at the Oscars. So far Netflix has only been nominated in the best documentary category -- this year for Ava DuVernay's powerful film "13th" -- and has had to watch while rival Amazon claimed multiple nominations for "Manchester by the Sea".

Scorsese's film is based on the true crime book "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt, which tells the story of hitman Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran. As well as a colourful background in whacking, offing and being a general good fella, Sheeran claims to have been involved in the mysterious disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.

Interestingly, the film is reported to involve CGI effects that will make its stars appear younger.

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