Martin Scorsese will be shooting a new film this summer, but it’s not one of the projects we’d been anticipating. Instead, it’ll be a documentary …
Variety is reporting the project will return Scorsese to his ancestral roots of Polizzi Generosa in Sicily, where his grandparents were born. The doc will explore the “scientific tools including DNA analysis on artifacts recovered from ancient shipwreck sites, to reconstruct stories of ships, sailors, cargoes, and maritime trade in the ancient world.”
Now, what I find most interesting about this announcement is that it has some parallels to Scorsese’s upcoming “The Wager,” set to star Leonardo DiCaprio. The filming of this doc could be seen as a sort of sea-set preparation for “The Wager,” which tells the true story a British vessel that was wrecked off the coast of Patagonia.
Last year, Scorsese had mentioned to IndieWire’s Anne Thompson that he might have to co-direct “The Wager” and expressed some doubts as to whether he could handle the big watery production. Scorsese was worried about the complexities of shooting on water.
Scorsese now has five projects on his upcoming slate, the doc will be the first one to shoot, the others are “The Wager,” “Life of Jesus,” “Home” and his Frank Sinatra biopic. Scorsese is 82 and there’s good chance not all of these will get made.
It was recently revealed that Scorsese was aiming to shoot “Life of Jesus,” based on Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 book, in the fall. Locations had been scouted. Andrew Garfield and Miles Teller are currently attached to star. We haven’t heard much about this one for a few months now.
Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.