Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese plans to make two films back-to-back: the first about Jesus, and the second a biopic about Frank Sinatra, the latter starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as Ava Gardner, the singer's second wife, Variety reports, citing sources, UNN writes.
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Scorsese is reportedly going to self-finance The Life of Jesus, based on the 1973 book by Shusako Endo. The newspaper writes that for the Jesus project, Scorsese "would like to reunite with Silence star Andrew Garfield," "although it is unclear whether the 40-year-old actor is being considered for the lead role or for one of the disciples.
Production is expected to begin later this year, with filming in Israel, Italy and Egypt. Filming in Israel may prove to be too difficult logistically, given that the country is at war with Hamas in Gaza, the publication notes.
"The Sinatra project may also face some problems: the daughter of the legendary singer Tina Sinatra controls her father's estate and has not yet given her blessing to the film," the publication says.
But, as noted with reference to sources, "this did not stop Scorsese from assembling a killer cast, with Leonardo DiCaprio playing the singer and Jennifer Lawrence playing his second wife, actress Ava Gardner.
The publication points out that with two of the biggest movie stars on the planet in the lead roles, the film is attracting interest from major studios and streamers. "Apple, which financed 'Flower Full Moon Killer' to the tune of $215 million, would like to continue working with Scorsese, but Sony is said to be the favorite to realize the project," the publication notes.
Also on the horizon is Scorsese's collaboration with Steven Spielberg on the Cape Fear series for Apple TV+, the publication notes. The two legends will serve as executive producers of the project, based on the 1991 and 1962 Universal films.