Jennifer Lawrence Teases January/February Shoot for Martin Scorsese’s ‘What Happens at Night’

In case you were unaware, word on the street is that Martin Scorsese has finally chosen what his next film is going to be, and it’s an adaptation of Francis Steegmuller’s “What Happens at Night,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence.

Naturally, given the vast amount of projects Scorsese has had in development—some of which ended up falling by the wayside—there’s still skepticism that the film will even happen. However, while doing the press rounds for Lynne Ramsay’s “Die My Love” (good film), Lawrence more or less confirms it’s happening (via IndieWire)

Hopefully, a January/February situation. But one never knows with these things. I’ll believe it when I’m there. We’re going to dig in.

Quite honestly, I do believe this film is happening, but not that January/February start. The reason is simple: DiCaprio will likely be busy Oscar campaigning for his performance in “One Battle After Another” around that time, which I’m guessing will result in production being pushed back to March.

“What Happens at Night” follows an American couple who travel to a snowy European town to adopt a baby. They check into a vast, nearly deserted hotel populated by enigmatic figures: a flamboyant singer, a corrupt businessman, and a magnetic faith healer. As they fight to bring their child home, the strange world around them begins to unravel—and so does their understanding of themselves and their marriage.

DiCaprio recently mentioned on The Big Picture that Scorsese told him to rewatch Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” as a “reference point” for “What Happens at Night.” It makes sense. The novel, which I read not too long after the project was announced, has some parallels to “Vertigo”; it places you inside a dreamlike world where reality feels blurry. Both narratives probe the destructive nature of obsession.

Has Scorsese ever made a Hitchcockian movie before? This could be an interesting change of pace for him, especially after his recent stint with sprawling epics like “The Irishman” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The closest examples I can think of Scorsese riffing on Hitchcock would be “Cape Fear” and “Shutter Island,” but that might be a slight stretch.

Also, will we be getting another 3 hour runtime like Scorsese’s last few films? What Happens at Night, the novel, is of moderate length (320 pages), but we all know how Scorsese has a tendency to linger on atmosphere, character moments, and cinematic set pieces.

Regardless, this project ranks high on my most anticipated films list—anything new from Scorsese is automatically a movie event for cinephiles.