Martin Scorsese lines up Leonardo DiCaprio for new Frank Sinatra biopic
For over two decades, Martin Scorsese has been attempting to make headway on a biopic chronicling the life of legendary singer Frank Sinatra, and it now appears Leonardo DiCaprio is set to star in the project.
In 2017, Scorsese revealed that he’d given up all hope of being able to bring Sinatra’s life to the silver screen due to issues with the late singer’s estate. However, the Academy Award-winning director is a persistent character, and after years of trying, he still hasn’t given up on the idea despite the barriers that remain in place.
“We can’t do it,” Scorsese previously told The Toronto Sun of the potential biopic in 2017. “I think it is finally over. [Sinatra’s estate] won’t agree to it. Open it up again and I’m there.”
He continued: “Certain things are very difficult for a family, and I totally understand. But if they expect me to be doing it, they can’t hold back certain things. The problem is that the man was so complex. Everybody is so complex – but Sinatra in particular.”
Sinatra’s estate is controlled by his daughter, Tina Sinatra, and as it stands, she still holds the key to a potential biopic. Nevertheless, according to Variety, Scorsese has advanced plans for the project despite still not having the backing of the Sinatra family.
If Scorsese gets his way, DiCaprio will portray Sinatra in the movie and Jennifer Lawrence will play the singer’s second wife, Ava Gardner. As of yet, according to the publication, there is major interest in the biopic from Apple and Sony, but no deal has been agreed due to the director not yet having permission.
Initially, Scorsese came up with a concept of a Sinatra biopic in 2000 and initially planned to cast John Travolta as Frank Sinatra and Tom Hanks as Dean Martin. When hope for the project was dashed, he later revised his plan and hoped to cast his DiCaprio, as the lead, which still remains the plan.
Whether the Sinatra biopic will get off the ground this time round remains unforeseen, but Scorsese refuses to back down on the project, and hopes the singer’s estate will finally grant him his wish.
If DiCaprio does star in the planned movie, it will mark the seventh time he has appeared in a Scorsese movie. Most recently, he starred in Killers of the Moon, released in 2023, and their strong partnership now looks set to prosper further.
In a four-and-a-half star review, Far Out stated of Killers of the Flower Moon: “Faith has always played an essential part in most of Scorsese’s movies, and he uses it well in Killers of the Flower Moon. One might expect an overreliance on Native American ritual and belief, but the director refrains from overdoing it; when hallucinations and visions of the beyond are depicted, they are tasteful”.
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