Martin Scorsese is reportedly set to work on a Frank Sinatra biopic with longtime collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio, according to sources.
Variety reports that the Killers Of The Flower Moon director is looking to film the project back-to-back with an adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 book Life Of Jesus. He is said to be seeking DiCaprio to play Sinatra and Jennifer Lawrence to play his second wife, the actress Ava Gardner.
The film has already attracted interest from major studios. Apple, who funded the $215million budget Killers Of The Flower Moon, had expressed interest but Sony is said to be the frontrunner for the project.
However, any prospective project has not yet been given the green light by Sinatra’s daughter Tina, who controls her father’s estate, especially since it will feature the woman Sinatra had an affair with while married to her mother Nancy Barbato.
Meanwhile, Variety also claims Scorsese was hoping to self-finance Life Of Jesus. He had been eyeing Andrew Garfield for the project, with Miles Teller also being considered. Production is expected to begin later this year with scenes in Egypt, Italy and Israel, despite the latter presenting a significant logistical challenge given the current war with Hamas. Variety says Scorsese’s reps declined to comment.
Meanwhile, in February, a recent study conducted by the group BonusFinder found that Scorsese’s 2010 psychological thriller Shutter Island is the film whose ending most confuses British viewers.
Not taking the top spot, but with four different entries in the top ten are the films of Christopher Nolan. The British director, who this week picked up a BAFTA for his work helming Oppenheimer, dominates the list, with Inception coming in at fourth, Oppenheimer itself at fifth, Interstellar at sixth and Memento in eighth.
Also appearing high in the list are the Coen Brothers’ 2007 neo-Western thriller No Country For Old Men and Mary Harron’s 2000 psychological horror American Psycho.