Martin Scorsese denies retirement rumours despite cancelling two movies
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Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese has denied rumours he is approaching retirement despite stalling the production of two of his latest movies.
Following the success of Killers of the Flower Moon, the 81-year-old filmmaker planned to develop two features. The first was a biopic about the life and times of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra and the other was, The Life of Jesus, an adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 book of the same name.
This wouldn’t be the first time Scorsese would have ventured into biblical filmmaking. In 1988, he created The Last Temptation of Christ, inspired by Nikos Kanzantzakis’ novel, with a cast that boasted Willem Dafoe as the titular protagonist.
The Sinatra biopic was rumoured to include Leonardo DiCaprio, though nothing was confirmed officially. Scorsese has reportedly been interested in creating a movie based on the life and career of the singer for over two decades, but the movie faced similar delays to The Life of Jesus, causing them both to be shelved indefinitely.
Responding to rumours he is veering closer to retirement due to the stagnation, Scorsese recently rejected any notion he will be stepping down, claiming he has plans to remain in the business for the foreseeable.
During a press conference at the Museum of Cinema in Italy, the filmmaker said: “I’m not saying goodbye to cinema at all, I still have more films to make, and I hope God gives me the strength to make them,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
Scorsese first expressed his desire to create a Sinatra biopic in 2000, allegedly with plans to cast John Travolta in the leading role. Years later, it appeared the project was still struggling to take off, but the filmmaker considered casting DiCaprio instead. However, he soon ran into issues with the singer’s estate, which declined to allow filming.
This year, Scorsese appeared to be resuming work on the project, with rumours of DiCaprio’s involvement following suit. However, the project halted once more, and it remained unclear whether the director would resume plans to revisit it sometime in the near future.
However, even amid the uncertainties, it is clear that Scorsese’s ongoing passion and dedication to the world of filmmaking remain intact, and any setbacks—big or small—appear to coalesce with the fickle nature of the business rather than anything relating to his desire to step out of the limelight.
What is Martin Scorsese’s next project?
At this stage, it remains uncertain what Scorsese’s next project will entail. However, in March, it was revealed that the director is involved with the upcoming documentary series, The Saints, which is set to arrive on Fox Nation.
Over the eight episodes, Scorsese will follow the journey of eight men and women who successfully reached sainthood. In addition to hosting the documentary series, the Academy Award-winning director has also offeer narration and executively produced the set of episodes.
In a statement, Scorsese said of The Saints: “I’ve lived with the stories of the saints for most of my life, thinking about their words and actions, imagining the worlds they inhabited, the choices they faced, the examples they set.”
Providing a further insight into the series, the director added: “These are stories of eight very different men and women, each of them living through vastly different periods of history and struggling to follow the way of love revealed to them and to us by Jesus’ words in the gospels. I’m so excited that this project is underway, and that I’m working with so many trusted and talented collaborators.”
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