Martin Scorsese Says He Is ‘Not Saying Goodbye’ to Making Movies

Martin Scorsese isn’t going anywhere.

As Scorsese, 81, appeared in Turin, Italy, to receive an award from the country’s Museum of Cinema on Monday Oct. 7, the Killers of the Flower Moon filmmaker dispelled rumors that his career may be winding down.

“I’m not saying goodbye to cinema at all,” he told reporters during a press conference, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I still have more films to make, and I hope God gives me the strength to make them.”

Scorsese’s appearance comes two weeks after Variety reported on Sept. 24 that the legendary filmmaker had postponed his next two films — a Frank Sinatra biopic and a movie about Jesus Christ — after initially intending to film both back-to-back in 2024. The latter movie, known as The Life of Jesus, remains in development, per Variety, citing an anonymous source. The Sinatra biopic, which had been rumored to costar Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Sinatra and Jennifer Lawrence as Sinatra’s second wife Ava Gardner, was canceled after Scorsese at one point intended on filming in November, the outlet reported.

Despite that report, Scorsese told reporters in Italy he is currently working on a documentary “about marine acrchaeology,” a co-production with the country’s Sicilian region, currently filming throughout Italy, per THR. The movie is based on underwater archaeologist Lisa Briggs’ research project known as Shipwreck of Sicily, which analyzes DNA found on items recovered from ancient shipwrecks.

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Scorsese released his most recent feature film, Killers of the Flower Moon, in October 2023. The movie featured a team-up with frequent collaborators DiCaprio, 49, and Robert De Niro, as well as Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons, among others. This year, he released a short film starring Timothée Chalamet, Blue de Chanel, in collaboration with the French fashion brand.

Whether or when Scorsese plans to return his attention to The Life of Jesus and his reportedly planned Sinatra biopic remain to be seen. As Variety reported back in April, Sinatra’s daughter Tina, 75, holds control over Frank’s estate. It remains unclear whether the film has received approval from the estate, as the outlet reported Sept. 24.

The filmmaker often has his hands in multiple projects at once. Back in 2021, it was reported that Scorsese would direct Jonah Hill as the late musician Jerry Garcia in a biopic about Garcia’s band the Grateful Dead; that movie has not yet been made either.