Liam Neeson & Andrew Garfield to Lead Martin Scorsese's SILENCE

Martin Scorsese has found his next leading men.

According to Deadline, Liam Neeson and Andrew Garfield will star in the acclaimed director's upcoming film SILENCE, based upon the novel by Shusaku Endo, which follows "17th century Jesuits who to try bring Christianity to isolated Japan." Ken Watanabe will also co-star. Jay Cocks and Scorsese penned the script.

Per the report, Scorsese has been looking to make the film for the better part of twenty years.

Oscar nominee Neeson is one of Hollywood's most in-demand actors having starred in three hit films released in 2012 so far: Open Road Films' THE GREY opposite Dermot Mulroney and Frank Grillo, Warner Bros. Pictures' WRATH OF THE TITANS opposite Sam Worthington and Ralph Fiennes, and Universal's BATTLESHIP co-starring Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård and Rihanna, with the last two films currently in theatres. He will next be seen in the highly anticipated final installment in Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES to be released in July. He also starred in the worldwide box office hit TAKEN opposite Maggie Grace and will be reprising his role as Bryan Mills in the sequel, TAKEN 2 to be distributed in October via 20th Century Fox. Neeson was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Steven Spielberg's SCHLINDER'S LIST.

Garfield received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for his breakout performance as Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. His other film credits include Lions for Lambs, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus and Never Let Me Go. TV credits include "Doctor Who," "Freezing," "Bash," "Red Riding". Garfield has appeared on stage in England with the Royal National Theatre, Soho Theatre Company and Manchester Royal Exchange. In 2012 he erned a Tony nomination for his performance in DEATH OF A SALESMAN. He currently leads the SPIDER-MAN franchise.

Photos by Walter McBride