NEW YORK: Director Martin Scorsese unveiled his new film 鈥淭he Irishman鈥� recently, kicking off the New York film festival with the ambitious Netflix movie that was more than a decade in the making.

The star-studded gangster epic had a budget of $160 million, using 117 different filming locations to shoot 309 scenes which together add up to a run time of 3 hours 29 minutes.

Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro started planning the film adaptation of Charles Brandt鈥檚 book 鈥淚 Heard You Paint Houses鈥� 12 years ago.

鈥淭hings got in the way,鈥� Scorsese told journalists Friday after the world premiere screening. 鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 get backing 鈥� there was no way 鈥� for years,鈥� he added.

鈥淚鈥檓 just happy we all got finally to do it because it did take a long time,鈥� said De Niro. 鈥淲e were lucky to get people to put up the money.鈥�

After several studios declined the project, it took Netflix鈥檚 deep pockets to get the green light for 鈥淭he Irishman鈥� 鈥� the nickname of Frank Sheeran, whose account of real-life events forms the basis of the book and film.

Former henchman Sheeran (played by De Niro) claimed to have killed more than 25 people on the orders of mafia boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and truck driver union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).

The film uses a new technology developed by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) 鈥� the effects firm created by George Lucas 鈥� to digitally 鈥渄e-age鈥� actors on screen.

De Niro, 76, is able to play Sheeran across several decades, from a 34-year-old in 1955 to his 2003 death aged 83.

Scorsese said it was necessary to 鈥渃ome up with a solution for a de-aging that wouldn鈥檛 interfere with Bob and Joe and Al.鈥�

鈥淭alking to each other with helmets on or tennis balls in their faces 鈥� they were not going to do it,鈥� he said.

ILM eventually succeeded in developing technology which did not require fitting the actors with any devices.

After an unsettling first few minutes the special effects work well, with Pacino also shedding multiple decades in some scenes.

De Niro鈥檚 first reaction to when he saw his younger digital self? 鈥淚 could extend my career another 30 years,鈥� he joked.

The movie will be released in a limited number of theaters in the US on Nov. 1, before it appears on Netflix from Nov. 27.

With 鈥淭he Irishman鈥� Scorsese returns to the gangster movie genre, following 鈥淕oodfellas,鈥� 鈥淐asino鈥� and 鈥淭he Departed.鈥�

But this film adheres more closely to real-life facts and characters.