Martin Scorsesewas set to film two movies back to back,but they have since been postponed. Scorsese is one of the most acclaimed and influential filmmakers of all time, and he just earned his tenth Academy Award nomination for Best Director for 2023’sKillers of the Flower Moon. His following two films were set to be passion projects the director had been working on for a while, aFrank Sinatrabiopic and an adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 novelThe Life of Jesus. Both projects seem to have hit a major roadblock.
According toVariety, Scorsese was planning to filmThe Life of Jesusand Frank Sinatra biopicsback to back starting this year, but both projects have since been delayed indefinitely.The Life of Jesus, which was supposed to be filmed first, would delve into Christ as a divine figure and human.The Life of Jesuswas set to be funded independently and is reportedly still in development.
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Meanwhile, the Frank Sinatra biopic is a different story, as crew members hired on fora reported November start date were told the date had been scrapped,and it has since not been rescheduled. The Sinatra biopic reportedly hangs on the approval of Tina Sinatra, Frank Sinatra’s daughter and owner of his estate. Scorseses rumored biopic focuses on the dissolution of Sinatra’s first marriage to Nancy Barbato, Tina’s mother, and his publicized marriage to Hollywood icon Ava Gardner. This is far from the first time Scorsese has clashed with the Sinatra estate.Both projects, as of this moment, remain on indefinite hold.
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The Life of Jesusis a project that seemed to come along very quickly. During theKillers of the Flower Moonpress tour, Scorsese said he was going to adapt the novel andwanted to focus on Jesus' core teachings while moving away from the “negative stigma” often associated with religious beliefs. Scorsese has explored his Catholic upbringing in many films, withThe Life of Jesusseemingly being the third part in a thematic trilogy that also includes 1988’sThe Last Temptation of Christand 2016’sSilence, the latter being adapted from another novel by Shūsaku Endō.
In addition to the Frank Sinatra biopic andThe Life of Jesus,Scorsese was also working on an adaptation ofThe Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder, a 2023 nonfiction book by David Grann, who was the writer of the novel Killer of the Flower Moon. The story focused on the Wager mutiny in 1741 and would reteam Scorsese and DiCaprio. With no word on that project, it is unclear what the future holds for the 81-year-old director, but every movie fan is likely waiting in anticipation for his next film.
