Yesterday, Leonardo DiCaprio was a guest at the Santa Barbara Film Festival — this appearance is all part of the relentless Oscar campaigning he’s been doing for a few months now, hyping up “One Battle After Another.”
At the Q&A, DiCaprio was asked about his next film, which is Martin Scorsese’s “What Happens at Night,” in which he stars opposite Jennifer Lawrence. He confirmed that the film starts shooting in “two weeks,” which is when he’ll be joining Scorsese in Prague, where the director just landed to continue pre-production.
DiCaprio was then asked about Scorsese’s “Sinatra.” If you remember, they were supposed to shoot their Frank Sinatra biopic back in the summer of 2024 before it got derailed, likely due to the Sinatra estate’s reluctance to approve the film.
Regardless, and while breathing a huge sigh, DiCaprio answered the question regarding the status of “Sinatra” by saying, “still in the works, still in the works.” You could tell there was a little frustration in DiCaprio’s delivery, but hopefully he and Scorsese can figure out a way to get this project off the ground.
Scorsese hoped to make a warts-and-all portrait of both the singer’s highs and lows, focusing on his failed marriage to Ava Gardner. This means the film would take place between 1950 and 1957. Sinatra’s career was in the dumps by that point. He ended up finding salvation — and staging a major comeback — by eventually starring in the hit film “From Here to Eternity.”
Sinatra’s lows proved to be a sticking point with Nancy and sister Tina. “Certain things are very difficult for a family, and I totally understand,” Scorsese said. “But if they expect me to be doing it, they can’t hold back certain things. The problem is that the man was so complex. Everybody is so complex — but Sinatra in particular.”
In the meantime, “What Happens at Night” is next for the duo, and even if “Sinatra” fails to happen, they have a handful of other projects currently in development, including “Home,” “Devil in the White City,” and “Midnight Vendetta.”