Martin Scorsese is taking on biopics of both Jesus and a music god: Frank Sinatra.
The Oscar-winning auteur is rumored to be once more developing a biopic based on the legendary crooner — a project Scorsese’s been associated with before — with longtime collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to portray Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. Variety reported the news. DiCaprio recently starred in Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and also led other Scorsese-helmed biopics like “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Aviator.”
Variety noted that Frank Sinatra’s daughter Tina Sinatra controls her father’s estate and hasn’t yet approved a film adaptation of his life story. However, Scorsese is already looking to cast both DiCaprio and fellow Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence in the film, with Lawrence portraying screen star Ava Gardner, who was Sinatra’s second wife after Nancy Barbato. Variety reported Sony is leading a bidding war for the project.
Additionally, Scorsese is casting his “A Life of Jesus” feature based on “Silence” author Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 book. Scorsese is looking to have “Silence” actor Andrew Garfield star in the film, with Miles Teller also in talks. Production is expected to begin later this year and shoot in Israel, Italy, and Egypt. “A Life of Jesus” production seems to be taking priority over Apple Original film “The Wager” also starring DiCaprio.
According to Scorsese, the expected 80-minute film will be “focusing on Jesus’ core teachings in a way that explores the principles but doesn’t proselytize,” as he told The Los Angeles Times. “I’m trying to find a new way to make it more accessible and take away the negative onus of what has been associated with organized religion,” Scorsese said.
Scorsese is also helming a Fox Nation biblical series and will be in collaboration with Steven Spielberg to produce a “Cape Fear” series for Apple TV+. Fellow auteur Spielberg is further phoning home via his sci-fi roots with a yet-untitled upcoming U.F.O. feature based on his original story, with David Koepp writing the screenplay. The “E.T.” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” filmmaker recently executive produced the Apple TV+ series “Masters of the Air.”
