Martin Scorsese’s new film premiered in Cannes a few days ago. The crime epic Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, received excellent reviews. But Scorsese is not standing still. The director of Goodfellas and The Irishman met Pope Francis in Italy over the weekend and was immediately inspired to make a new film. Jesus Christ should be his themewhile an earlier Scorsese film on the subject prompted death threats and bans.
What Scorsese revealed about his Jesus film
Scorsese was at a conference in Rome on Saturday, reports Variety, and announced the following:
I responded to the Pope’s appeal to artists in the only way I know: by imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus.
He’s about to start, Scorsese explained. The topic should come as no surprise to Scorsese fans. It was only in 2016 that he dealt with the missionary efforts of the Jesuits in Japan in Silence. Some of his heroes are influenced by the Christian faith, whether it’s Harvey Keitel’s Cauldron character or, more recently, Lily Gladstone’s Osage character in Killers of the Flower Moon. However, Scorsese dealt with the subject most intensively in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).
The last temptation of Christ caused a scandal
The Last Temptation of Christ is not a Bible film, but the film adaptation of a novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, which creates an alternative perspective on Jesus Christ’s life and death. Played by Willem Dafoe, Jesus shows open desire for a woman, struggles with his fate and works with the Romans.
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Conservative Christian organizations reacted with sharp criticism, Scorsese received death threats and The Last Temptation of Christ was banned in several countries. In Germany, too, there were such efforts, which fortunately were not successful.
Scorsese’s first film would also be about Jesus
In addition, Martin Scorsese has had one before different vision for a Jesus film in the head. In 2017, he revealed the idea for his first film that wasn’t made (via The Playlist), Jesus in New York, to translate the gospel to the neighborhoods of Manhattan where Scorsese grew up. But then he saw Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The First Gospel – Matthew and decided against it.
So we can’t wait to see what direction Scorsese will take for his Jesus film.
Killers of the Flower Moon is coming October 19, 2023 in German cinemas and will then be released on the streaming service Apple TV +.