Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s collaboration has always turned out to be a spectacular deal as both personalities bring out their best charm on the projects. While the former makes sure to come up with a unique narrative for audiences to get hooked on, the latter showcases his skills, which is one reason why he’s reigning in fans’ hearts.
The duo reunited for the 2010 psychological thriller project, Shutter Island which garnered widespread acclaim from critics and viewers. Although it faced a major Oscar snub, one would be surprised to know how the legendary filmmaker ended up helming that project.
Martin Scorsese Was Instantly Hooked With Leonardo DiCaprio’s Shutter Island Script
The 2010 era was surely Leonardo DiCaprio‘s as he garnered global acclaim for his portrayal of Dom Cobb in Christopher Nolan‘s Inception movie. It went on to nab four Oscars at the time but his other film, Shutter Island was a rollercoaster ride, that was gravely missing from the Academy Award nominations.
It was quite a shocker as DiCaprio’s performance as Deputy U.S. Marshal Edward “Teddy” Daniels surely counts as one of his best portrayals in the cinematic world.
Not only that, even Scorsese’s efforts had been snubbed from the nod, who was instantly hooked when he was offered the project. In a 2009 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the famed director revealed,
“I decided to make Shutter Island literally the night I read the script. I just felt very strongly about the characters and what they go through.”
The project nearly went to Wolfgang Petersen, who helmed projects like Das Boot (1981) and Air Force One (1997). It was he who bought the rights years before producer Brad Fischer picked it up with Mike Medavoy.
Fischer has been fascinated to adapt Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel which the movie is based on. As the property went to them, they hired writer Laeta Kalogridis for a script and got a copy to Scorsese. Whereas, Scorsese, who was initially set to direct The Wolf of Wall Street (another DiCaprio starrer) eventually abandoned that one to work on this underrated masterpiece.
Martin Scorsese Regrets Making Shutter Island
The 2010 movie is known for its twist ending which fits well with the gloomy yet horrifying element that the filmmaker has incorporated in it. Given that he has already worked on several acclaimed projects, as he looked back on his work, he regrets working on Shutter Island.
In last year’s interview with GQ, Martin Scorsese suggested that he should have skipped the project as he called it “the last studio film I made.”
He revealed that he made his decision in the wake of his first Best Director Oscar win for his work in The Departed (2006). Winning the trophy “encouraged me to make another picture with Shutter Island. It turned out I should have gone on probably to do Silence.”
Set in 1954, Scorsese’s film revolves around Teddy (DiCaprio) who travels to Shutter Island to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a patient from Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. As he delves deeper into it, he is met with sinister experiments and his own traumatic past. The film ends in a shocking twist that perfectly blends Scorsese’s direction with the actor’s mind-bending performance.
Alongside DiCaprio, the movie also stars Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, and Michelle Williams. Grossing over $299 million worldwide via The Numbers, it gained positive reviews from critics.
The Shutter Island is available to stream on Apple TV.
