Martin Scorsese, who is currently on a tour of Italy after his appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, has hinted he will soon begin work on a film about Jesus.
The iconic filmmaker made this announcement while attending a conference at the Vatican that was organized by the Jesuit publication La Civilta Cattolica and Georgetown University.
Scorsese stated, "I have responded to the Pope’s appeal to artists in the only way I know how: by imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus. And I’m about to start making it."
The conference, which was titled The Global Aesthetics of the Catholic Imagination, had writers, poets, and artists from across the globe, as well as the Pope, in attendance.
During the conference, Pope Francis gave a speech, where he appealed to artists to create art that moves society towards beauty, universal fraternity, and faith. Scorsese’s announcement was thus a response to this plea.
Thank you to Martin #Scorsese for accepting the invitation to join us of La Civiltà Cattolica and Georgetown University - along with his wife and daughter - in the meeting of 40 poets and writers from different Countries with #PopeFrancesco, who said among other things, "This is… pic.twitter.com/yG6bEyo2Wq
— Antonio Spadaro (@antoniospadaro) May 27, 2023
He admitted as much to Antonio Spadaro, the publication’s editor. Spadaro wrote that during a conversation, Scorsese had told him about "How the Holy Father’s appeal ‘to let us see Jesus’ moved him."
The editor also revealed that Scorsese made some cinematic references during their conversation. For one, Scorsese admitted admiration for Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1954 The Gospel According to St. Matthew.
Together, they explored the meaning behind Scorsese’s controversial 1998 film The Last Temptation of Christ, his ensuing research into the person of Christ, and the implication on his latter project Silence.
The Last Temptation of Christ portrayed Jesus as someone torn between his divine duties and earthly pleasures. The film’s controversial take on Jesus angered many Christian societies and resulted in a ban in some countries. Silence, on the other hand, is a 2016 film that focused on Jesuit Christian’s persecution in Japan in the 17th-century.
Scorsese’s other activities in Italy include a screening of some of his works at Rome’s Casa del Cinema Cinematheque. The GoodFellas director also held a master class for the students of Rome’s Centro-Sperimentale film school.
Despite Scorsese’s interest in making a film about Jesus, we believe it is too early to tell whether it will ever see the light of day. However, given Scorsese’s pedigree, he can certainly pull it off if anybody can.
By the way, Scorsese was last reportedly working on a Gangs of New York television series as both a director and executive producer. However, there has been little to no information about the show since then.
In the meantime, Scorsese’s latest project Killers of the Flower Moon received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. It will enjoy a limited release on October 6, before a wide release on October 10. Thereafter, it will become available for streaming on Apple TV+.
