The thrilling first trailer for Martin Scorsese's latest film, Silence, has debuted online. 

Based on a novel by Japanese author Shusaku Endo, Silence follows two Portuguese Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver), who must contend persecution and torture while traveling through 17th Century Japan to convert locals and track down their mentor (Liam Neeson) whose alleged to have "denounced God in public."

It certainly looks like the film is operating on an epic storytelling scale from the trailer and it must have been a grueling shoot for the three leads who all look to have lost a lot of weight for their roles. 

Ciaran Hinds co-stars as the head of the Jesuit order that Garfield and Driver belong to. 

Silence is set to be released in Irish cinemas on January 6th.