Fresh off “Shutter Island,” the most successful box-office film of his career, Martin Scorsese is juggling so many fascinating sounding projects, we were honestly a bit afraid some of them would drop by the wayside. But speaking with Time Out London, the director’s energy hasn’t flagged one bit, and he’s not only announced a new project, but provided an update on some we weren’t sure were happening anymore.
First, the new. The director casually announced that he’s working on a documentary about writer and acidic social commentator Fran Lebowitz. She’s often been referred to as a contemporary Dorothy Parker and while her influence has waned (she’s probably most recognized for her work during the ’70s and early ’80s) she’s a New York icon and definitely great material for a documentary.
But as you already know, this isn’t the only documentary in Scorsese’s pocket. Last year, it was announced that Scorsese was still hard at work with his longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker on a documentary about the history of British Film. As anyone knows, Scorsese is a living encyclopedia of film knowledge and lore and a documentary on classic Brit film would be endless fascinating, especially if it’s even half as comprehensive as “A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies” (which should be a must watch for any film lover). At the time he said,”as soon as we finish mixing ‘Shutter Island,’ which will be in August, Thelma and I are going to go back and take up where we were in the British documentary and hopefully construct a rough cut by the time I shoot my next picture.”
Unfortunately, it seems he wasn’t able to stick to that timeline, as with “Hugo Cabret” getting set to shoot this spring, the director is only about a third done saying, “We have at least an hour of the British [doc] one done. The problem is Thelma [Schoonmaker, the wife of the late British director Michael Powell] and I finding time between the features. There’s at least another two hours to go.” Take all the time you need Marty, we’ll be ready for it when you are.
But British and American films aren’t the only industries to come under Scorsese’s eye. In 1999, Scorsese released “My Voyage To Italy,” an exploration of his roots through Italian cinema. He is not done and wants to do “part two, we hope, of the Italian cinema film.” Again, we’d gladly listen to Scorsese talk cinema all day long, so the more helpings we can get the better.
Of course, the director still has his documentary on George Harrison in the works, which last we heard, should be finished up by May, which would fall in line with his start on the 3D children’s fantasy film, “Hugo Cabret” (if it indeed is a 3D film, we’re not completely convinced that’s the case).
But with all this talk of documentaries, let’s not forget the number of features Scorsese still has on his plate. Following “Hugo Cabret,” Scorsese is set to work on his oft-delayed dream project, the 17th century Jesuit priest drama “Silence.” The picture was set to star Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio Del Toro and Gael Garcia Bernal and we presume (and hope), they’re still on board.
There is also the long gestating, Irish mob drama with Robert DeNiro, “I Heard You Paint Houses,” now titled the “Irishman” written by Academy Award-winnign screenwriter Steve Zaillian (“Schindler’s List,” “Gangs of New York,” “Searching for Bobby Fischer”) that apparently wowed Scorsese enough to make him want to return to the gangster pic genre, long after he assumed he was through with it. The film — the title derives its name from a slang term used for contract killings, — has been kicking around since 2008, and is based on the true story of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran who reported carried out 25 mob hits. That film is supposed to follow “Silence,” but as always, things can change.
Sitting on the backburner (for now) are is a biopic about Frank Sinatra, and a production job on another biopic about Franklin D. Roosevelt. And last, but not least, he shot the pilot for HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” which will debut later this year.
Wow, we’re seriously blown away and awed by Scorsese’s endless productivity and can’t wait to see what comes next.
I guess The Last Duel isn't on any burner. Bummer.