Martin Scorsese Chooses Jesus Christ as Subject of His Next Movie

While we’re fervently waiting for the highly anticipated release of Martin Scorsese’s next picture Killers of the Flower Moon, fans of the acclaimed director can already start looking forward to his next project. The information was revealed by Scorsese himself, who traveled to Italy after attending Cannes Film Festival. During a visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis, the filmmaker revealed that he is working on a screenplay for a film about none other than Jesus Christ.

Scorsese has never made it a secret that he was raised Catholic and that religion plays a great part both in his personal and professional lives. Should this new Jesus-themed movie continue in development, it won’t be the first time that the director tells a story centered on the deity. Back in 1988, he helmed the Christian epic The Last Temptation of Christ, which chronicled the life of the title character. The drama earned Scorsese his second directing nomination at the Oscars.

When announcing the movie, Scorsese mentioned that it was his response to Pope Francis’ appeal to artists. Known for his considerably modern approach to the Bible’s teachings, the Pope spoke publicly about the need for artists (poets, writers, and directors) to make their art because usually the great truths of humanity can only be spoken through an artistic voice. Scorsese stated:

“I have responded to the Pope’s appeal to artists in the only way I know how: By imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus. And I’m about to start making it.”

RELATED: ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ First Reactions Call It “Enthralling,” “Powerful”

Scorsese Movies and Faith

It’s too early to know further details about the upcoming project, but considering that Scorsese has already chronicled the life of Jesus Christ in his filmography, chances are he’ll choose to focus on a specific point of the god’s trajectory, or maybe create a whole new story that’s more related to faith and what Jesus represents, rather than Jesus himself. Another curious detail is that Scorsese mentions he’s sitting down to write the movie as well — something that he doesn’t do as often as directing. This could suggest that the upcoming project will be extremely personal.

Faith and religion are recurring themes in Scorsese’s filmography. Sometimes a character’s relationship with God and what they see as a sin will be worked into the story, but on more than one occasion it was the central theme of the film. The most recent was 2016’s Silence, in which he told the story of two priests who go to Japan in order to find their mentor who got incarcerated after trying to spread Catholicism in the Edo era.

Stick with Collider to know about Scorsese’s next movie as soon as it gets announced. In the meantime, Killers of the Flower Moon premieres in theaters on October 6.

You can watch the trailer below: