Martin Scorsese was planning to tackle films about Jesus Christ and Frank Sinatra, but according to reports, both have seen their shoot dates scrapped.
Last we heard, Martin Scorsese was set to have a busy few months towards the end of this year. The filmmaker was set to follow up last year’s Killers Of The Flower Moon with a project tentatively titled The Life Of Jesus Christ. The biblical figure is one that Scorsese has explored in film before in 1988’s The Last Temptation Of Christ. According to reports that surfaced earlier this summer, the project was set to go before cameras some time around October with Andrew Garfield rumoured to be in the title role.
Other details that popped up suggested that the film was being made outside the studio system and would shoot in Italy, Israel and Egypt. The story was to be based on the book by Shusaku Endo (who also wrote the book on which Scorsese’s Silence was based) titled The Life Of Jesus. As of July, no distributor for the film appeared to be in place. However, with that original timeline meaning that cameras would be due to roll any day now, it’s being reported that the self-funded project has instead been placed on ice.
According to Variety, no reason’s been given for the change of plans, but the same fate seems to have befallen Scorsese’s next project too, a Frank Sinatra biopic that he was due to shoot almost straight afterThe Life Of Jesus. Again, no explanation has been offered as to why things have been frozen on that production. The project was previously looking for financial backing, with Apple and Sony said to be interested. It hasn’t yet been confirmed whether the production has acquired the rights to Sinatra’s music from the late singer’s estate – another potential reason for a pause in the proceedings, given that Scorsese has been trying to secure those rights for well over a decade now.
We’ll bring you updates on either of these projects as we hear fresh news.
