Martin Scorsese's long-delayed movie adaptation of historical novel Silence is set to hit theatres in late 2015, eight years after he first unveiled plans for the project.

The legendary filmmaker began developing the idea for a film based on Shusako Endo's 1966 book of the same name back in 1989 and he announced his intention to direct the picture in 2007.

Now studio executives at Paramount Pictures have picked up the U.S. distribution rights to Silence and are eyeing a November, 2015 release.

The movie will star actors Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver as troubled Jesuit missionaries who travel to Japan to search for their mentor in the 17th century. The project will also feature Batman Begins co-stars Liam Neeson and Ken Watanabe.

Silence is due to begin production in Taiwan later this year (14).