With a career spanning more than 50 years as a filmmaker, Martin Scorsese delivered a range of iconic films, from Taxi Driver and Raging Bull to Oscar-winning The Departed and fan-favorites Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street. The list, of course, goes on.
His recent release, Killers of the Flower Moon, has added to his masterful filmography portfolio. With this film, Scorsese yet again proved himself to be a true crime master. He was already known for making the best crime thrillers in history, and no doubt Goodfellas is one of them.
The depth in the storyline and nuanced shades of humor are truly something that makes this feature an actual work of art. But things would have been different for him from what they are today. If Scorsese had done that particular movie, it could have changed the course of his career.
Goodfellas Might Have Never Happened If Martin Scorsese Directed That One Harrison Ford’s Iconic Movie
Though Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is simply just wonderful, it could have been totally different if Martin Scorsese had directed it. At that time, Scorsese was just too interested in the film before Scott. He wanted to bring Philip K. Dick’s complex themes to the big screen.
In 1969, after his first feature-length film, Who’s That Knocking at My Door, Scorsese and critic/screenwriter Jay Cocks thought of adapting Dick’s novel. Even though they were highly interested, the film never started. So, the director went with 1973’s Mean Streets, which proved to be a pivotal moment in his career. And, so he shifted toward crime dramas.
Cocks later worked with him in films like The Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York. And that’s the reason why Scorsese’s Blade Runner never came to be.
There’s Another Iconic Film Martin Scorsese Missed Out On
Fans may be surprised to know that Francis Ford Coppola first approached Martin Scorsese for the 1972’s The Godfather sequel. He was impressed by Scorsese’s work. So he asked him to direct it.
But there was a catch — Paramount Pictures didn’t allow anyone except Coppola to helm the film. So, the Shutter Island director later said that he didn’t think he was the right person, saying (via Deadline):
“I would’ve made something interesting, but his [Coppola’s] maturity was already there. I still had this kind of edgy thing, the wild kid running around.” And that’s when Coppola finally went on to direct The Godfather Part II himself.
