Martin Scorsese is famously known for his crime drama films, but lesser-known to fans is his interest in faith-based movies. Scorsese made the controversial movie based on Jesus, The Last Temptation of Christ, with Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ in 1988. He later made the films Silence, exploring the plight of kakure kirishitan in Japan and Kundun, exploring the 14th Dalai Lama’s story. Scorsese is now in the works of a movie, which he reveals to be a modern interpretation of Jesus.
The Wolf of Wall Street director first revealed this idea after meeting with the Pope in Italy last May. He disclosed at the time that he decided to respond to the Pope’s appeal to artists by imagining and writing a script for a Jesus film.
Martin Scorsese Shares Updates On His Film On Jesus
Martin Scorsese looks to appeal to mass believers with a Jesus film after the controversies surrounding his 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ. In May 2023, during a promotional tour for Killers of the Flower Moon at the Cannes Film Festival, Scorsese had a meeting with the Pope. He later reflected on the meeting at an event organized by Georgetown University and La Civiltà Cattolica in Rome. He shared:
“I responded to the Pope’s appeal to artists in the only way I know how: by imagining and writing a script for a film about Jesus. And I am about to start making it.”
During his most recent interview with America Magazine, The Departed director provided an update on how his Jesus movie was coming along. When asked about the decision to make another Jesus movie after his 1988 film, Scorsese explained that Pope Francis’s discussion and his new film idea were centered around the idea of making Jesus a more accessible figure.
Scorsese’s film will portray a part modern, part ancient depiction of Jesus. The Aviator director has already developed a script with Kent Jones and expects to start production in April. Scorsese shared with the America Magazine:
“I’m thinking in response to what Pope Francis wrote about and the idea of making Jesus accessible. And dealing with the accessibility of who Jesus is and continues to be in our lives. Hence, I’m thinking of a film that might be partially modern day, partially ancient, I’m not quite sure. We’ve come up with a script, myself and Kent Jones. I hope to be shooting some of it in April to get it going.”
Scorsese has reiterated the fact that the film was not going to be a “straight narrative” of the life of Jesus Christ. Scorsese also revealed taking inspiration from Shūsaku Endō’s book A Life of Jesus, which talks about Christ from an Asian perspective.
Daniel Day-Lewis May Come Out Of Retirement To Play Jesus In Martin Scorsese’s Film
Daniel Day-Lewis retired from acting in 2017 after the Paul Thomas Anderson film Phantom Thread. Day-Lewis has largely avoided any public appearances in these years of retirement. However, the three-time Academy Award winner made a rare appearance at the National Board of Review Awards on January 11. Day-Lewis presented the Best Director award to Martin Scorsese for his work on Killers of the Flower Moon.
In his acceptance speech, Scorsese described working with the Lincoln actor in The Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York as “one of the greatest experiences of my life.” He shocked the attendees of the ceremony when he made the comment, “Maybe there’s time for one more,” to which Day-Lewis just smiled. Fans began speculating that Day-Lewis may come out of retirement to work with Scorsese again, and it would be in his next Jesus film.
While fans have to wait a few more months to get any casting confirmation from the Scorsese film, they can enjoy Killers of the Flower Moon, which is available for streaming on AppleTV+.
