Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro talking to Scorsese about starring in Silence

Benicio Del Toro will play classic monster The Wolf Man later this year.
Benicio Del Toro will play classic monster The Wolf Man later this year.

Martin Scorsese is negotiating with Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro to star in his next film directing effort, titled Silence, according to Variety. Gael Garcia Bernal is also attached to the film, which is scheduled to begin production in late 2009 in New Zealand.

Silence is set in the 17th century, and follows two Jesuit priests facing violence and persecution after traveling to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. The story is based on a novel by Shusaku Endo novel, which was adapted by Jay Cocks.

Daniel Day-Lewis – who worked with Scorsese on Gangs of New York and The Age of Innocence – recently completed the Rob Marshall-directed musical Nine. The project would be the first collaboration for Scorsese and Del Toro, who recently starred in the Steven Soderbergh two part biography of Che and next stars as The Wolf Man, due in theaters on November 6, 2009. Garcia Bernal (Babel, Y Tu Mama Tambien) is in early talks about joining the film also.

Scorsese recently completed shooting an adaptation of the Dennis Lehane thriller Shutter Island with Leonardo DiCaprio in the starring role. Shutter Island hits theaters on October 2, 2009.