Martin Scorsese plans to continue his success from the true-crime masterpiece Killers of the Flower Moon with an 80-minute movie about Jesus that aims to eradicate the negative connotations often associated with organized religion.
During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Scorsese elaborated on the concept behind the film, which is based on A Life of Jesus by writer Shūsaku Endō. Endō, a Japanese Catholic, had previously had his 1966 novel Silence adapted by Scorsese. According to Scorsese, he and his writing partner Kent Jones had completed the screenplay and were overflowing with ideas for a movie that takes place mostly in the present and delves into Jesus’s central teachings without actively promoting a particular religion.
Martin Scorsese stated that he is attempting to discover a fresh approach to make religion more approachable and remove the negative stigma that has been attached to organized religion.
The 81-year-old director stated, “Currently, the word ‘religion’ evokes strong reactions because of its many failures. However, this does not necessarily mean that the initial concept was incorrect. Let’s take a step back and consider it. You may choose to reject it, but it could still impact the way you live your life, even in rejecting it. Don’t dismiss it without thought. That’s all I wanted to express.”
Martin Scorsese announced that he plans to film a movie in 2024, as he was motivated to do so after interacting with Pope Francis in 2023 and attending a conference called “The Global Aesthetics of the Catholic Imagination” organized by La Civiltà Cattolica. In an interview, Scorsese explained, “I have taken up the pope’s call to artists by using my imagination to write a screenplay about Jesus.”
Scorsese has a significant track record with films with overt religious themes. His 1988 adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ The Last Temptation of Christ triggered worldwide controversy and protests for its depiction of an alternative timeline for Jesus’s life, while Silence, released in 2016, portrayed the struggles of Jesuit priests persecuted for their religion in 17th-century Japan. In 1997 Scorsese also released Kundun, a biographical film about the Dalai Lama.
Scorsese’s plans for an adaptation of David Grann’s novel The Wager, set for release in 2023, have been delayed due to his focus on the Life of Jesus adaptation. In a recent interview, Scorsese mentioned that the intense awards-season campaigning for Killers of the Flower Moon has led him to take a break and potentially co-direct the seaborne shoot for The Wager.
The film “Killers of the Flower Moon” received a Golden Globe on Sunday for its lead actress Lily Gladstone, and is expected to be nominated for several major awards in the upcoming weeks.
Source: theguardian.com
