After securing 10 Oscar nominations for last year's monumental three-hour epic Killers Of The Flower Moon, one might assume that when Martin Scorsese decides to make a film, it simply happens. However, after announcing plans for the religious film The Life Of Jesus last year and a long-awaited Frank Sinatra biopic with Leonardo DiCaprio earlier this year, Scorsese's hopes to shoot both projects consecutively have been delayed. According to Variety, neither film will begin production in 2024, and new schedules have yet to be confirmed.
Having already crafted a compelling biblical tale with The Last Temptation Of Christ, Scorsese aimed to respond to the Pope's call for more Christian-centered art with an adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 novel The Life Of Jesus. This would have been Scorsese's second adaptation of Endō's work, following 2016's Silence, with Andrew Garfield reportedly set to play a significant role. Initially planned to film in Israel, Italy, and Egypt this year, the movie—which Scorsese intends to finance personally—remains in development, though a new production timeline is not yet established.
Regarding Scorsese's Sinatra biopic, which was set to feature DiCaprio as Frank Sinatra opposite Jennifer Lawrence as Ava Gardner, focusing on their tumultuous relationship, the situation is more intricate. Announced as far back as 2009, this passion project for Scorsese—known for his love of music, evident in his film soundtracks and documentaries like The Last Waltz and Rolling Thunder Revue—has yet to secure the approval of Sinatra's family estate. Given the sensitive period in Sinatra's life that the film would cover, there's no assurance of obtaining such approval, placing the project in a precarious position. As Variety reports, production was set to start as early as November this year, but those involved were informed in mid-August that these plans had been canceled, with no current plans to reschedule.
While Scorsese's collaboration with Steven Spielberg on the Cape Fear series for Apple TV+ remains in progress, the fate of his two ambitious projects remains uncertain. Whether they will eventually come to fruition or if Scorsese will have to accept the situation and move on, only time will reveal. Whatever Martin Scorsese chooses to do next, rest assured, we'll be watching.
