Martin Scorsese is the director with the most nominations among those still living at this year’s Academy Awards. He has received 10 nods, and has won one award, in the best director category. His newest movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, has 10 nominations, including best picture and best director.
Scorsese has announced plans to shoot his next film, about the life of Jesus, later this year, meaning an awards push for that movie in 2026 or 2027. Yet a new report suggests the film-maker, 81, may make a surprise appearance at next year’s Oscars on account of his acting prowess.
Variety reports that the director has made a return to appearing on screen, taking on a minor role in Julian Schnabel’s meta drama that explores the origins of The Divine Comedy.
The film “In the Hand of Dante” showcases Martin Scorsese as an older mentor who guides Oscar Isaac’s character, Dante Alighieri, over the course of 20 years. According to Variety, individuals who have viewed footage from the movie, currently in post-production, have been amazed by Scorsese’s powerful portrayal. Director Julian Schnabel describes it as “extraordinary”.
According to the director, the role is both highly skilled and significant, captivating the audience’s attention.
Scorsese has long cameoed in many of his films, including in his latest, and has sometimes performed in others. He played Vincent van Gogh in a segment of Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990) and voiced a loan shark pufferfish in Shark Tale (2004).
He often portrays variations of himself on television, most notably in an American Express commercial and on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The movie by Schnabel is adapted from Nick Tosches’ enigma, where a handwritten copy of The Divine Comedy is discovered in the Vatican library and eventually ends up in the hands of a mafia leader in modern-day New York.
Al Pacino, Gal Gadot, John Malkovich, Jason Momoa, and Gerard Butler are also featured in the movie. It is expected to debut at the Venice Film Festival in August.
Scorsese is presently attending the Berlin film festival, where he will be honored with the Golden Bear award. He and the majority of the Killers of the Flower Moon actors were noticeably absent from the Bafta awards in London last Sunday, despite the film receiving nine nominations, it did not win any awards.
Surprisingly, Bafta’s shortlists did not include Scorsese for directing or leading actress Lily Gladstone.
Source: theguardian.com
