MOVIE NEWS – The project is one of two that Martin Scorsese wants to take on as his next directorial venture.

Even at the age of 81, Martin Scorsese shows no signs of slowing down, as he is already planning his next projects. One would see him reteam with Leonardo DiCaprio in a possible Frank Sinatra biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio, while his Don’t Look Up co-star Jennifer Lawrence would also join the cast.

According to Variety, Scorsese wants DiCaprio to play Sinatra, while Lawrence would play his second wife, the great actress Ava Gardner, whom he married after Nancy Barbato.

He hopes to shoot the project in parallel with his other passion project, A Life of Jesus, based on Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 novel. Due to the significant star power of the two protagonists, several studios and streaming companies are interested in the project. Apple TV+ would love to stay with the director. However, according to the news, Sony Pictures seems to be the front-runner for the film.

Martin Scorsese would need permission from Frank Sinatra’s daughter to move forward

While Scorsese wants to go full steam ahead with the biopic, there is one major obstacle that could at least slow things down. Sinatra’s daughter, Tina Sinatra, owns the estate and has yet to give her blessing to continue. It’s possible the talent involved could convince him to contribute.

However, Scorsese is currently moving forward with the film as one of his following potential projects without an official green light.

Scorsese can be picky when it comes to what he does next. The life of Jesus seems to be his primary goal. He plans to do this by bypassing the studio system and financing the film independently. The director did the same with the 2016 film Silence, also based on a spiritual Endō novel. Andrew Garfield starred in that film, and he’s also said to be in talks with Miles Teller for A Life of Jesus. This project is expected to be shot in Israel, Italy and Europe later this year.

The director is also preparing Apple’s original film, The Wager, which also stars DiCaprio. If all of these DiCaprio projects come together, it would be their eighth collaboration together.

DiCaprio was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Scorsese is also busy on the television front. He is reportedly set to direct a Bible series for Fox Nation. He will also collaborate with his friend Steven Spielberg as a producer on the Cape Fear limited series for Apple TV+. Scorsese directed the remake of the 1991 feature film starring Robert De Niro.

Source: Variety