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Martin Scorsese may be 81 years old but the legendary filmmaker remains as in love with the profession as ever as reports indicate he’s lining up not one but two new movies.
In a new piece by Variety detailing Scorsese and Steven Spielberg’s upcoming projects, it was revealed that Scorsese is also working on a Frank Sinatra biopic alongside his adaptation of Life of Jesus, which has been in production for a few years and is expected to begin filming this Fall.
The Sinatra news is particularly seismic as none other than frequent Scorsese muse and Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio will star in the project. Furthermore, fellow Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence is being eyed to star as Sinatra’s second wife Ava Gardner.
“The Oscar-winning director who helped usher in the Hollywood New Wave of the 1970s is looking to bypass the studio system and independently finance Life of Jesus, based on Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 book. Scorsese would like to reunite with Silence star Andrew Garfield for the Jesus project, though it’s unclear if the 40-year-old actor is being eyed for the titular role or to play one of the disciples. Miles Teller has also been eyed for the picture.”
“The Sinatra project could also hit some snags: The legendary crooner’s daughter Tina Sinatra controls her father’s estate and hasn’t yet given her blessing to the film. But that hasn’t stopped Scorsese from putting together a killer cast that would see frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio playing the singer and Jennifer Lawrence portraying his second wife, actress Ava Gardner, sources say. Sony is said to be the frontrunner to nab the project.” [via Variety]
As for Spielberg, he’s set to begin working on a UFO movie based on an original idea of his, with the script being written by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man).
The pair of iconic directors are also teaming for a series adaption of the film Cape Fear, which Scorsese remade in 1991 after the original was released in 1962. Scorsese and Spielberg will be executive producing the AppleTV+ series.
The unfortunate reality, however, is that either of Scorsese’s next two projects could be his final one as he said in an interview with The Wrap last year that he has “one or two more pictures that I can make [if I’m lucky].”
Scorsese’s latest movie, 2023’s Best Picture-nominated Killers of the Flower Moon, is streaming on AppleTV+.