In case you were unaware, Martin Scorsese has finally chosen what his next film is going to be, and it’s an adaptation of Peter Cameron’s “What Happens at Night,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence.
Naturally, given the vast number of projects Scorsese has had in development — some of which have fallen by the wayside — there was still skepticism that the film would ever happen. However, in a joint interview for Time Magazine, Scorsese and DiCaprio are saying they plan to start shooting in February.
DiCaprio will likely stop his Oscar campaigning for “One Battle After Another” around that time. Now, before you jump in and say this could get released next year, Scorsese has a knack for taking his time in post-production.
For the most part, Scorsese’s films have had a rather lengthy editing process: “Killers of the Flower Moon” (24 months), “Shutter Island” (20 months), “Silence” (19 months), “The Irishman” (18 months), “Hugo” (15 months), “The Departed” (13 months), “The Aviator” (13 months), and “The Wolf of Wall Street” (11 months).
This latest film looks primed for a Cannes 2027 debut.
“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.” 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.