Prolific director Martin Scorsese says he will be once again making a film about the life of Jesus Christ. It seems like it will be a huge departure from his 1988 film “The Last Temptation of Christ,” which starred Willem Dafoe as the religious icon. The movie featured some highly controversial scenes, causing no shortage of protests by some religious organizations.
Scorsese confirmed the project in 2023. He recently discussed how he intends for the film to subvert viewers expectations about organized religion. “I’m trying to find a new way to make it more accessible and take away the negative onus of what has been associated with organized religion,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
“Right now, ‘religion,’ you say that word and everyone is up in arms because it’s failed in so many ways,” says Scorsese. “But that doesn’t mean necessarily that the initial impulse was wrong. Let’s get back. Let’s just think about it. You may reject it. But it might make a difference in how you live your life — even in rejecting it. Don’t dismiss it offhand. That’s all I’m talking about. And I’m saying that as a person who’s going to be 81 in a couple of days. You know what I’m saying?”
The director has already completed the screenplay with filmmaker Kent Jones. This new film will be based heavily on Shūsaku Endō’s book “A Life of Jesus.” While it will be set mostly in the present day, Scorsese doesn’t want to lock into a certain period to give the film “a timeless feel.” It centers mostly around Jesus’ core teachings in a way that explores the principles but doesn’t proselytize. He plans for it to run about 80 minutes long.
Also, maybe he’s already got a star in mind. While speaking about Daniel Day Lewis, Marty told the National Board of Review Awards he wanted to work with him again. “We did two films together and it was one the great experiences of my life I must say. Maybe there’s time for one more.”
The project is currently slated to begin shooting later this year. We’ll keep you posted on updates as they become available.
