Subscribe
Follow Us
Those looking forward to Martin Scorsese's Jesus movie and Frank Sinatra biopic will have to keep waiting.
Variety reports that Scorsese was set to film The Life of Jesus and his Sinatra biopic back-to-back this year. However, both have now been postponed indefinitely and will not begin filming this year.
At least the former appears to still be in the works. Variety's report adds that The Life of Jesus is still in development, even without an official cast announced. Scorsese will reportedly be financing the movie independently, a similar approach to Silence.
Sources close to the Sinatra biopic revealed they were set for a November start date for the production. In mid-August, they were told that the date had been canceled. They were not alerted of a new start date.
The project has been in development for over a decade, with Variety noting it was first announced in 2009. It does not have a distributor yet, but Apple and Sony are reportedly circling it.
If the former picks it up, it would mark a reunion between Scorsese and Apple. The studio previously distributed Scorsese's last movie, Killers of the Flower Moon. Paramount handled the theatrical rollout of it.
In the meantime, Scorsese is involved with other projects. He is producing The Freshly Cut Grass, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. He is also working with Steven Spielberg for an Apple TV+ series adaptation of Cape Fear, which Scorsese previously adapted in 1991.
What are Martin Scorsese's Jesus movie and Frank Sinatra biopic about?
The Life of Jesus is based on a novel by Endō. Variety notes that the movie “promises to explore Christ's complex human and divine aspects,” comparing it to Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ.
Similar to the Jesus movie, the Sinatra biopic's exact plot details are unclear. However, it will focus on the “My Way” singer's marriage to Ava Gardner. Variety points out that it is unclear whether or not the Sinatra estate has signed off on the movie, especially since it may handle “vulnerable” parts of his life. The estate is handled by Frank's daughter, Tina Sinatra.
The biopic was rumored to star Leonardo DiCaprio, who is no stranger to Scorsese, and Jennifer Lawrence. DiCaprio has starred in six of Scorsese's feature film.
Despite being 81 years old, Scorsese has not slowed down. He is fresh off writing and directing Killers of the Flower Moon, an adaptation of David Grann's 2017 book of the same name. Frequent Scorsese collaborators DiCaprio and Robert De Niro starred in it alongside Lily Gladstone.
Scorsese started his award-winning career in 1967, directing Who's That Knocking at My Door. He followed that up with Boxcar Bertha, Mean Streets, and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
His breakthrough came in 1976 when he directed Taxi Driver. The movie landed Best Picture and Best Actor (Robert De Niro) nominations at the Oscars.
Some of his other notable credits include Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, After Hours, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, and The Wolf of Wall Street. In 2019 Scorsese directed The Irishman, which paired him with De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino.
