Martin Scorsese, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind some of cinema’s most iconic works, had planned to begin shooting two highly anticipated films back-to-back this year. One was a biblical epic, “The Life of Jesus,” based on Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 novel, and the other was a biopic about legendary singer Frank Sinatra. However, Variety has learned that both projects have been postponed, and neither will be filmed this year.
Scorsese’s “The Life of Jesus” was expected to be the first of the two projects to go into production. Although no official cast has been announced, one source with direct knowledge tells Variety the film is still in development. Scorsese is committed to making the movie about the Christian leader, which he is reportedly financing independently. He took a similar approach to his 2016 epic drama “Silence,” also adapted from an Endō novel. The filmmaker hoped to shoot in Israel, Italy, and Egypt, but these locations have yet to be confirmed. Based on Endō’s novel, “The Life of Jesus” promises to explore Christ’s complex human and divine aspects, much like Scorsese’s earlier work in “The Last Temptation of Christ.” No official casting for the film has been announced, but notable names like Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield have been rumored to be circling the project.
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As for the Sinatra biopic, which has generated plenty of industry excitement, the movie seemed further along with a scheduled November start date at one point. According to multiple sources said to be involved with the production, artisans and other key stakeholders who had signed on to the Sinatra project were notified in mid-August that the November start date had been canceled, with no rescheduled date.
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Scorsese has planned to bring Ol’ Blue Eyes to the big screen since the project was first announced in 2009. That iteration was to be produced by Universal Pictures and Mandalay Pictures, with Phil Alden Robinson writing the screenplay. No studio has yet to sign on, although Apple and Sony had been rumored to be circling.
One key question hanging over the Sinatra film is whether it has received the blessing of the Sinatra estate, which his daughter Tina Sinatra controls. The estate’s approval is crucial, given that the film would delve into a vulnerable period in the singer’s life. Rumored to have Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence in talks to star, the film would focus on Sinatra’s tumultuous marriage to actress Ava Gardner, a relationship that rocked Hollywood and contributed to the dissolution of his first marriage to Nancy Barbato, mother of Sinatra’s daughter Tina. Without the family’s official approval, the film’s future remains uncertain.
Despite these delays, Scorsese, now 81, still has plenty on his plate. The auteur keeps busy with many executive producer credits, including Celina Murga’s “The Freshly Cut Grass,” an adultery drama that premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. He’ll also collaborate with Steven Spielberg on a “Cape Fear” TV series for Apple TV+. The duo will serve as executive producers of the project, based on the 1991 and 1962 Universal movies. (Scorsese directed the 1991 noir thriller, which Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment produced.)
With a monumental career that spans six decades, Scorsese is currently the most-nominated living director at the Academy Awards, with 10 nominations for best director — second only to William Wyler, who holds the record with 12. Scorsese finally took home his own Oscar for the best picture-winning thriller “The Departed” (2006).
