Martin Scorsese, 81, is planning to shoot two films back to back: the first about Jesus, the second a Frank Sinatra biopic. Leonardo DiCaprio would play Sinatra and Jennifer Lawrence his wife Ava Gardner. Sony is currently the frontrunner to helm the project.
This is quite the news given that the project had originally been scrapped, for a variety of reasons. Throughout the 2000s Scorsese was developing this Sinatra biopic, originally to star John Travolta. Phil Alden Robinson was set to write the script, though Billy Ray was later attached.
In 2017, Scorsese had exited the Sinatra project. “We can’t do it,” Scorsese told The Toronto Sun. “I think it is finally over. [Sinatra’s estate] won’t agree to it. Open it up again and I’m there.”
At the time, Scorsese said his Sinatra film would feel like a combination of “GoodFellas” and “The Aviator.” The biopic nature of ‘Aviator’ and the heavily Italian-American setting of ‘Goodfellas’ would be injected into the film.
Scorsese hoped to make a warts and all portrait of both the singer’s highs and lows. The latter theme proved to be a sticking point with Sinatra’s family. “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.”
Some bumps might still occur again for the film. Sinatra’s daughter, Tina, currently controls her father’s estate and hasn’t yet given her blessing to the film.