Rejoice! I don't think DiCaprio can be nudged into this project!
Martin Scorsese Screams In "Silence"
Posted: Monday November 14th, 2005 5:34pm
Source: Variety
Author: Garth Franklin
Martin Scorsese is aiming to make Japan-set passion project "Silence" his next film, the helmer declared Sunday at the fifth Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco reports Variety.
Adaptation of a Japanese novel by Shusaku Endo is the martyrdom-themed tale of two 17th century Portuguese missionaries who return to Japan to minister to Christians, who've been outlawed. Scorsese has been trying to do the project on and off for around ten years.
Project is being moved by Initial Entertainment Group, the same company who are producing Scorsese's current project "The Departed". Both films are expected to be released by Warner Bros.
US filmmaker Scorsese wants to quit making Hollywood blockbusters
MARRAKECH, Morocco (AFP) -
US filmmaker Martin Scorsese said he plans to stop directing Hollywood blockbusters and focus on documentaries and short films.
Scorsese, director of such hit films as "Raging Bull", "Goodfellas" and "The Aviator", was one of the honored guests at the Marrakech International Film
Festival, which opened Friday and runs until November 19. The director who turns 63 this week said at a press conference that he was getting old and did not want to spend his time making big pictures demanded by Hollywood studios.
He predicted that the film he would make in Japan next year, to be titled "Silence", would be one of his last efforts for Hollywood. The movie will tell the story of Portuguese priests who go to Japan in the 17th century to convert the country to Christianity. The American director said he wants to focus on documentaries like the one he did recently of US folk music legend Bob Dylan.
Scorsese, who said he liked films from different perspectives, saluted the work of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, who is also attending the Marrakech festival.
Scorsese returns to Morocco for film festival
Martin Scorsese has returned to Morocco to repay a debt by attending the opening of the fifth Marrakech International Film Festival, where he is the star attraction.
The festival is honoring Scorsese with a retrospective of his work, including the two films he shot on location in the Arab kingdom: "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Kundun."
"I owe a great deal to Morocco, which left a lasting impression on my work and my life," he told the opening-night audience Friday.
Referring indirectly to current political tensions, Scorsese made an impassioned defense of world cinema.
"Now more than ever we need to talk to each other, to listen to each other and understand how we see the world, and cinema is the best medium for doing this," said Scorsese, who will give a master class in filmmaking.
Scorsese Prefers Silence Next
Source: Variety
Martin Scorsese is aiming to make Japan-set passion project Silence his next film, reports Variety.
The adaptation of a Japanese novel by Shusaku Endo is the martyrdom-themed tale of two 17th century Portuguese missionaries who return to Japan to minister to Christians, who've been outlawed.
The project is being developed by Initial Entertainment Group's chief Graham King. Initial produced the Martin Scorsese-directed The Departed and co-financed Gangs of New York, selling overseas rights.
"I hope it comes together. I've been trying to make the movie for 10 years," Scorsese said. He had originally intended to direct it after "Gangs" but then "got distracted by the informing theme of 'Departed,' " he added.
Reports are coming in from all over the wire.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to say that gentlemen.
We just jinxed this movie getting made.
Time for a title change, because Saw genius James Wann is on it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455760/
Thelma Schoonmaker interview
http://www.timeout.com/film/news/659.html
Snipet about "Silence":
Do you have any idea what you will be doing next?
A movie called 'Silence', which is based on a great Japanese novel about 16th century Portuguese missionaries in Japan. It's something very close to Scorsese's heart – he's wanted to make it for many years but he's never really had the time to write the script and get it funded. But we're all hoping that this time it's going to happen, and it looks like we're going to shoot it in New Zealand as well. That will be very exciting, and I think I will have to do a lot of research for that one!
'Silence' is golden for Scorsese
Source: Production Weekly
Martin Scorsese is aiming to make his next film "Silence," an adaptation of the novel by Japanese writer Shusaku Endo, the project is likely to shoot in Vancouver next summer. This is a long-gestating project for Scorsese, who together with Jay Cocks wrote a first draft of a screenplay around a decade ago. He had originally intended to direct it after "Gangs of New York" but instead decided to make "The Departed."
"Silence" is set in sixteenth century Japan, where Portuguese missionaries must contend with traders from rival European nations and the persecution of Christians by Japanese feudal lords. The feudal lords want to drive Christianity out of Japan, and try to do so by torturing priests into apostasy, denying their faith. This is done symbolically by stepping on a "fumie," a Christian image, like a picture of Mary or a crucifix. Two Portuguese priests, Sebastian Rodrigues and Francis Garrpe, make a dangerous journey to Japan, both to locate and comfort Japanese converts, and to discover the truth about a supposed apostate priest, Ferreira.
Scorsese says he wants a break from Hollywood
Despite the big early success of his new film "The Departed," Martin Scorsese plans to take a break from Hollywood blockbusters and focus on the adaptation of a Japanese novel for his next work, he said on Sunday.
Scorsese won the only standing ovation so far at the Rome Film Festival with the screening of his modern-day cops versus mobsters thriller starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.
The film, a $90 million remake of the Hong Kong drama "Infernal Affairs," scored the best opening in Scorsese's career at the U.S. box office last weekend, and has been touted as a likely Oscar contender.
Scorsese said he had had no particular problems with Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio behind the film, but that he was finding it harder and harder to work on big productions, and felt Hollywood studios restricted the creativity of directors.
"I think I am finding that when there are very big budgets there is less risk that can be taken," Scorsese told reporters in Rome after a press screening of his film.
He said Warner had been supportive and patient as he shot "an experimental film like 'The Departed', which we only finished three weeks ago."
"But I don't know how much longer that can hold out, with regard to what kind of movie they -- the major studios -- would like to make and the kind of film I'd like to make."
His next project could not be more different from the crime stories he is renowned for. It's an adaptation of Shusaku Endo's novel "Silence" and tells the story of two 17th century Portuguese missionaries.
"It's a small-scale, lower-budget film. I have wanted to do it for 15 years," he said.
But Scorsese said that if he came across another script like "The Departed" and could rely on the same type of budget and freedom to do things his own way, he would not say no.
"I'd be tempted, because it's like a disease. It's like a drug."
Quote from: Gamblour le flambeur on November 14, 2005, 04:02:22 PM
Time for a title change, because Saw genius James Wann is on it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455760/
that's what we call a contradiction
Quote from: A Matter Of Chance on October 15, 2006, 09:24:14 PM
Quote from: Gamblour le flambeur on November 14, 2005, 04:02:22 PM
Time for a title change, because Saw genius James Wann is on it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455760/
that's what we call a contradiction
congrats
Next for Scorsese: 17th-Century Japan
Martin Scorsese came to Cannes on a quest to save world cinema. Once he leaves, the great American filmmaker hopes to get to work on a foreign picture of his own.
Scorsese is turning his sights to a story of missionaries in 17th century Japan. "Silence" is a long-cherished project that he hopes to shoot partially in Japan in summer 2008.
Although it's a period piece, Scorsese thinks it has lessons for America today.
"It raises a lot of questions about foreign cultures coming in and imposing their way of thinking on another culture they know nothing about," Scorsese told The Associated Press on Thursday raising his eyebrows just to make the point absolutely clear.
Scorsese is on a mission for international understanding in Cannes, where he launched his World Cinema Foundation, devoted to preserving and restoring neglected film treasures from around the world.
Ask him what international filmmakers he admires and the list goes on and on, starting with Italian greats such as Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Bernardo Bertolucci and Marco Bellocchio.
Postwar cinema alone, especially, is a "very rich feast," he said. "It was a great time to be alive, the late '50s, early '60s, and loving the cinema ... I'd like the younger ones to know this is where I got sustenance from, besides the Hollywood cinema."
Scorsese, who's also working on a documentary about the Rolling Stones, thinks American pop culture could use a jolt of outside influence.
"I think as an American, you see all the American films, we feed upon our own culture in a way," he said. "And we just keep digesting it, re-digesting our own culture. After a while there's no return, there's no nourishment, there's no depth. I believe that."
Scorsese's new international foundation is modeled on The Film Foundation, which Scorsese founded in the United States in 1990. He is backed by an advisory board of prominent directors, including the three Mexicans who have become the toast of Hollywood since they garnered 16 Academy Award nominations among them in February.
Guillermo Del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth"), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") and Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men") signed a moviemaking partnership last week with Universal Pictures worth a reported $100 million.
Scorsese says he hopes studios that cut deals with foreign talent have the best intentions.
"The danger is, (the directors) may have to make one or two films that are more in the Hollywood line ... What I would hope is that studios nourish the nature of the filmmaker that they hire, really, instead of trying to change him or her," Scorsese said.
Scorsese, 64, is busy at Cannes. Earlier Thursday, Scorsese gave a master class for young filmmakers. When the festival wraps up Sunday, he will hand out the award for the best film from a first-time director.
If Scorsese is spending so much time here, it's because Cannes is close to his heart. He calls it the first place "to really recognize ... and welcome me."
The French Riviera festival awarded him its top prize, the Palme d'Or, for "Taxi Driver" back in 1976. It wasn't until three decades later that he finally took home Oscars (for best picture and best director for "The Departed").
Quote from: MacGuffin on May 24, 2007, 04:13:27 PM
"It raises a lot of questions about foreign cultures coming in and imposing their way of thinking on another culture they know nothing about," Scorsese told The Associated Press on Thursday raising his eyebrows just to make the point absolutely clear.
he never raised his eyebrows for the departed! except when opening his paycheck.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg516.imageshack.us%2Fimg516%2F8135%2Fdeparted2bu0.jpg&hash=d67a1795ec6840875dd49e8479220da7a75aceab)
i still cannot believe that's the best they could came up for a martin scorsese looking fish.
Scorsese, King talking up 'Silence'
Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio Del Toro to star
Source: Variety
Martin Scorsese is determined to make "Silence" his next movie. The helmer and Graham King's GK Films are negotiating with Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro to star. Gael Garcia Bernal is also circling the film, expected to begin production later this year in New Zealand.
The drama is set in the 17th century as two Jesuit priests face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity.
"Silence" is based on the Shusaku Endo novel, which was adapted by Jay Cocks. Scorsese has had the project on his radar for more than a decade.
The film would be Day-Lewis' third with Scorsese following "Gangs of New York" and "The Age of Innocence." Day-Lewis has completed the Rob Marshall-directed musical "Nine."
"Silence" would mark the first collaboration for Scorsese and Del Toro, who most recently starred in the Steven Soderbergh-directed "Che" and next stars as the title character in "The Wolf Man." Garcia Bernal, best known for "Babel" and "Y tu mama tambien," is in early talks.
There is currently no domestic distributor for the pic. King is financing the film himself, as he did on "Edge of Darkness," the William Monahan-scripted and Martin Campbell-directed drama that stars Mel Gibson.
Scorsese and King have worked together on "The Departed," "The Aviator" and "Gangs of New York."
Scorsese most recently completed an adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel "Shutter Island" for Paramount with Leonardo DiCaprio starring.
Amazing news. If this project comes to light in the near future then it moves to the top of my list for most anticipated. The concern is that news of a possible Scorsese project are a dime a dozen these days and so who knows what will really happen. But the fact that three major actors and a studio are tied to it makes me believe this report has some legs.
Scorsese plans film on early Japanese Christians
TOKYO (AFP) – Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese plans to adapt for the screen a novel on Japan's brutal persecution of Christians during the 17th century, according to a museum.
The 1966 novel "Chinmoku" ("Silence") by Shusaku Endo tells the story of a young idealistic Jesuit priest from Portugal who lands on the shores of Nagasaki in southern Japan -- then the only region open to foreigners.
The novel depicts the severe persecution Japan then inflicted on converts to Christianity, many of whom were impoverished villagers and went into hiding.
Academy Award-winning art director Dante Ferretti, who is close to Scorsese, and producer E. Bennett Walsh this week visited the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture to research the film.
"They are going to make a movie and so they visited to research Japanese Christian history," museum spokesman Koichiro Nishijima said.
He said that the pair carefully studied a "fumie," a metal plaque depicting Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary that authorities would make people step on in order to weed out Christians.
The Asahi Shimbun newspaper said actors who may star in the movie include Daniel Day-Lewis, Gael Garcia Bernal and Benicio Del Toro -- who recently depicted Che Guevara in Steven Soderbergh's "Che".
Scorsese plans to start shooting the film in New Zealand later this year and expects it to reach cinemas in 2010, the Asahi reported.
It would be the first major work directed by a foreigner about the subject, a less well-known part of Japan's history.
As many as 30,000 Japanese are believed to have been persecuted for their Christian faith, which was introduced by Spanish Jesuit Francis Xavier in 1549 but banned for centuries.
The Roman Catholic Church last year beatified 188 Japanese martyrs, mostly laypeople who were tortured to death.
Christians came out of hiding when Japan ended its policy of self-imposed seclusion in the 1860s.
Christians now make up a small part of the population in the largely Buddhist and Shinto nation and include prominent figures such as Prime Minister Taro Aso.
Scorsese is known for Hollywood blockbusters including "The Departed" and "Gangs of New York," as well as iconic films "Taxi Driver," "Goodfellas" and "Raging Bull."
First article of the year to report that Scorsese will actually make this film. I sincerely hope he does.
Scorsese Opts For "Silence" Over "Wolf"
By Garth Franklin
Source: Dark Horizons
Thursday February 17th 2011 10:52AM
Scorsese Opts For "Silence" Over "Wolf"
Things have come back around for Martin Scorsese who is now once again attached to direct the financial thriller "The Wolf of Wall Street" reports Vulture.
The story follows the rise and fall of a drug, alcohol, and sex-addicted brokerage firm operator Jordan Belfort. A multi-millionaire in the eighties, by the following decade he's a federal-convict banned from the securities business for life for offences related to stock market manipulation.
Scorsese replaces Ridley Scott who himself replaced Scorsese when he opted to focus on other projects like "Shutter Island" and "Hugo Cabret". Leonardo DiCaprio remains attached to play Belfort.
"Boardwalk Empire" creator Terence Winter penned the script and there was word Scorsese aimed to shoot the film independently this year. However Scorsese's publicist insists that Scorsese is instead focused on his long-gestating adaptation of Shusaku Endo's 1966 novel Silence as his next project after 'Cabret'.
Jay Cocks penned that story about Jesuit priests in 17th century Japan who face persecution as they attempt to track down their mentor. Benicio del Toro, Daniel Day-Lewis and Gael Garcia Bernal were previously attached.
Has The Financial Disappointment Of 'Hugo' Killed The Chances Of Martin Scorsese's 'Silence' Getting Made?
Source: Playlist
While the critical adulation -- eleven Oscar nominations and five wins -- for Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" put a nice finish on the film's journey to the big screen, in the cold light of day, and on a financial level, the film was a bust. While it didn't get the same kind of ink that something like "Men In Black 3" did, production on "Hugo" was rocky, with Scorsese struggling to adjust to 3D during the filming, forcing the production schedule that was loosely slated from July to November 2010 to get extended to February 2011. At when it was all tallied up, the final price tag of the movie was apparently somewhere in the neighborhood of $180 million, and with the film only taking in $182 million worldwide it was likely not the hit backers GK Films was looking for. And according to THR, this has put a strain on the relationship between producer Graham King and filmmaker Martin Scorsese, potentially putting the director's long-gestating dream project "Silence" in jeopardy.
First, let's rewind a bit. King and Scorsese have been joined at the hip for the last decade or so, collaborating on a string of successful films including "The Departed," "The Aviator" and "Gangs of New York" and both brought their producer powers to "The Young Victoria." And it seemed they would be continuing to work together in the future. It was just over a year ago that it was reported that "Silence" would be Scorsese's next picture, with Graham King backing the film. But it seems much has changed since then.
According to the trade, "Hugo" cost GK Films nearly $80 million in losses, and added up to a dismal 2011 that also included duds like "The Rum Diary" and "In the Land of Blood and Honey." But more importantly, GK Films money man, oil billionaire Tim Headington, is said to be bleeding to the tune of $200-250 million, which may cause him to reassess his input into the company. Needless to say, there is now apparently friction between King and Scorsese because of the position "Hugo" has put the producer in, and that is the reason why "Silence" did not go forward as planned.
But we understand King's reluctance to pull the trigger on "Silence." It's certainly a film that would be tough to position, an adaptation of Shusaku Endo's novel about two 17th century Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. Even with actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio Del Toro and Gael Garcia Bernal linked to roles early on, a period movie about religion isn't going to be packing them in. Certainly if "Hugo" had been a runaway success, it would be much easier to get this moving, but it does say something that the next movie Scorsese is doing is the much more commercially viable "The Wolf of Wall Street" with buddy and megastar Leonardo DiCaprio. And it notedly marks a break with King, with the film set up at Red Granite Pictures.
So what will become of "Silence"? If King ultimately decides he's not going to make it, we presume Scorsese could work out a deal to take it elsewhere, package the picture and hope to get financing. But again, given the subject matter and the potential cost, even with Scorsese's name attached, it might be a hard one to drum up support for. However, if "The Wolf of Wall Street" is a hit (and there's really no reason why it won't be), everyone could soften up and find a reason to get Scorsese's passion project made. Memories are short in Hollywood, money and success talks, and maybe this time next year, it will all be water under the bridge for King and Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese's Long Developing 'Silence' Finds Backer In Cecchi Gori Pictures, To Be Produced First On Company's Slate
Source: Playlist
A little extra patience is all it takes, it seems. After the financial disappointment of "Hugo" reportedly divided Martin Scorsese and his producer Graham King, halting plans to bring his dream project "Silence" to the screen, we wondered whether the venture would ever recover given its long gestation, but it seems the European company responsible for "Il Postino" and "Life is Beautiful" has been waiting in the wings the entire time.
Niels Juul, the CEO of the recently revived Cecchi Gori Pictures, revealed in an interview with THR his financial backing of "Silence," and also that Scorsese's project is further along that initially thought: "It's been in pre-production for a while." Juul said, "We don't know the schedule quite yet, but that's definitely a signed deal and that would probably be our first feature back in the swing of things." This hustle appears completely, but excitingly, incongruous to the general temperature before it, with King taking an $80 million loss on "Hugo" making the prospect of the period drama "Silence" an ever harder sell. With Cecchi Gori, a price tag hasn't been mentioned yet, but with its historical and international setting, undoubtedly high-profile cast, and a company ready to back its acquisition, the number might remain a reason for King to shudder, even on the sidelines.
The project is a crucial one for Scorsese, clearly, but it is from the perspective of Juul that it takes on an even greater import. "Silence" represents an opportunity for Cecchi Gori, which he's been CEO of for three years now, to revive its tarnished image after years of legal disputes with former presidents and mishandled funds. The company once saw American success with "Seven" and "A Bronx Tale," and Juul is looking to Scorsese to match that feat once more, with "Silence" set to be the first production out of the gate for the company.
Promising as this all seems though, don't expect news of a "Silence" release date just yet. Scorsese has "The Wolf of Wall Street" with Leonardo DiCaprio scheduled to shoot in August, and post-production/release on that will likely take some time. Still, following that, Scorsese seemingly has the path paved for him to bring his dream project to fruition, and we are excited to see it happen.
Quote from: The Playlist on April 26, 2012, 04:02:03 PM
Has The Financial Disappointment Of 'Hugo' Killed The Chances Of Martin Scorsese's 'Silence' Getting Made?
nope, scorsese himself did ...
Martin Scorsese Sued By Producer Cecchi Gori Over Alleged Deal to Direct 'Silence'
Cecchi Gori claims it invested $750,000 to develop the property and that Scorsese agreed way back in 1990 to direct it after Kundun (1997).Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Martin Scorsese has been sued by the production company behind a film project that the Oscar-winning director allegedly promised to direct more than two decades ago.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by THR, Cecchi Gori Pictures, the production company headed by Vittorio Cecchi Gori, claims it entered into several agreements with Scorsese and his Sikelia Productions for him to direct Silence, based on a Japanese novel by Shusaku Endo about missionaries who are sent to Japan in 1683 to investigate reports of Christians being tortured by the country's emperor.
Cecchi Gori claims it invested $750,000 to develop the property and that Scorsese agreed way back in 1990 to direct it after Kundun (1997). In 2004 and 2011, Scorsese and his company allegedly signed deals to postpone Silence so he could direct The Departed, Shutter Island and Hugo. As part of those deals, Scorsese is said to have agreed to pay "substantial compensation and other valuable benefits, for the right to direct these three other films prior to Silence," according to the complaint. Those fees are said to be $1.5 million per film plus 20 percent of Scorsese's backend compensation.
The suit claims Scorsese never paid his agreed-on delay fee for Hugo and now has decided to direct Wolf of Wall Street for Paramount (with Leonardo DiCaprio and an all-star cast) instead of Silence. "The Checchi Gori Parties cannot allow their rights to be ignored or compromised by further delay on the part of Scorsese and Sikelia," the complaint alleges.
We've reached out to Scorsese rep Leslee Dart for comment and will update with a response.
The suit, filed by Charles Harder and Marc Rohatiner of L.A.'s Wolf Rifkin Shapiro Schulman & Rabkin, alleges causes of action for breach of contract and intentional misrepresentation.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/martin-scorsese-movies-lawsuit-cecchi-gori-364934 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/martin-scorsese-movies-lawsuit-cecchi-gori-364934)
"Has all the earmarks of a media stunt": Martin Scorsese Rages Against Cecchi Gori's Bull
Source: indiewire
Martin Scorsese has fired back at a new lawsuit being filed against him. As reported by The Wrap, Cecchi Gori Pictures recently filed suit against the legendary filmmaker and his Sikelia Productions company for not directing an adaptation of Shusaku Endo's 1996 novel "Silence," per alleged written agreements (the first of which was reportedly made back in 1990).
Claiming that the lawsuit -- which accuses Scorsese and Sikelia of two counts of breach of written contract, intentional misrepresentation and negligent misrepresentation -- has "all the earmarks of a media stunt," the statement reads:
It is shocking to us that the lawyers for Cecchi Gori Pictures would file a suit pursuing such absurd claims considering the amicable working relationship existing between Martin Scorsese and the principals of Cecchi Gori Pictures. The claims asserted are completely contradicted by, inconsistent with, and contrary to the express terms of an agreement entered into by the parties last year.
According to the suit filed Wednesday, Scorsese was to shoot "Silence" after "Kundun," but opted to direct "Bringing Out the Dead" and "Gangs of New York," during which time Cecchi Gori Pictures incurred development costs that reached $750,000 by 2001. Following his 2004 drama "The Aviator," the director allegedly agreed to direct "Silence," but didn't. The company filed the lawsuit once they learned of Scorsese's plan to follow-up his Oscar-winning family film "Hugo" with "The Wolf of Wall Street," and not "Silence." According to Cecchi Gori Pictures, the filmmaker had agreed to start production on "Silence" by the end of year.
"Silence," based on Japanese author Shusaku Endo's novel about Portugese missionaries sent to Japan in 1683 to investigate claims of the torture of Christians by the emperor, is one of the primary remaining assets for Cecchi Gori Pictures, the film company led by Vittorio Cecchi Gori (responsible for the little-seen Robert De Niro family drama "Everybody's Fine"), that has been undergoing financial restructuring for the last several years.
The company claims Scorsese and Sikelia owe $1.5 million, plus 20% of all "back-end" compensation received by the director, related to "Hugo."
"The Wolf of Wall Street," which tracks the rise of fall of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort, is set to come out next year and stars Scorsese regular Leonardo DiCaprio, alongside a starry cast that includes Jonah Hill, Jean Dujardin, and Matthew McConaughey. Following "Wall Street," Scorsese has a number of projects in the works, including his long gestating Frank Sinatra biopic (currently being written by "The Hunger Games" scribe Billy Ray), and the gangster pic "The Irishman," which would reunite him with Robert De Niro.
Martin Scorsese Tests Out Script For Mob Drama 'The Irishman' With De Niro, Pacino, Pesci; But 'Silence' Is Marty's Next Pic
BY MIKE FLEMING JR | Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: For my part, Martin Scorsese can't make enough movies. But he's trying. Scorsese, who is completing The Wolf Of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio, just held a reading of Steve Zaillian's script at the Tribeca Film Center for The Irishman, the mob drama based on the Charles Brandt book I Heard You Paint Houses. The film is about mob hit man Frank Sheeran. Robert De Niro, who'll play the lead character, was there, as was Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, also expected to take part. Project is set up at Paramount, but several financiers were there looking to invest.
I'm told by Scorsese's camp that this is something Scorsese likes to do to make sure the picture is making proper progress. But they assure me he's not making The Irishman next. Scorsese's holding fast to his dream of making Silence the next film he directs. Scorsese, who almost had the Shusaku Endo book project together several times, is auditioning actors and is looking to start production on the film in mid-2014. Given De Niro's resurgence in Silver Linings Playbook, how can we wait that long to see the actor get back in business with Scorsese?
I'll believe it when I see it.
mid 2014 sounds like it's bullshit.
Martin Scorsese To Make Noise On 'Silence' At Cannes; Emmett/Furla Funding The Film
BY MIKE FLEMING JR | Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Martin Scorsese will finally realize his long-held dream to direct Silence, an adaptation of the Shusaku Endo novel about 17th Century Jesuits who risk their lives to bring Christianity to Japan. Financing for the film has been secured by Emmett/Furla Films, as part of a two picture deal that principals Randall Emmett and George Furla have made, to co-finance a second film by the director. The plan is to shoot in Taiwan in July, 2014, depending on cast, from a script by Jay Cocks and Scorsese.
I'm told that things are moving fast on this and that they are all making plans for Scorsese to come to Cannes and launch the picture. Numerous sales companies have been vying to handle foreign rights, but that task will fall to Len Blavatnik and Stuart Ford, who'll jointly handle the foreign on the film for Emmett/Furla through their respective Axis Films and IM Global.
The film will be produced by Irwin Winkler, Emmett and Furla, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Checchi Gori, and Barbara DeFina, with Niels Juul exec producing. Scorsese will jump into the film after he completes The Wolf Of Wall Street.
Scorsese has wanted to make Silence since 1991. He has gotten close numerous times, with actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio Del Toro and Gael Garcia Bernal among those mentioned over the years. But the pic has always gotten pushed, and there was even a lawsuit over how long it all took. Even that didn't dampen Scorsese's passion. It is not the easiest or most commercial project, but when a master like Scorsese is so passionate about a movie that it sticks with him more than 20 years, he's going to find a way to make it, and now he has. He's repped by WME and Rick Yorn. This is another big step for Emmett/Furla, which has films upcoming that include the Peter Berg-directed Lone Survivor and the Denzel Washington-Mark Wahlberg-starrer 2 Guns. Getting in business with Scorsese is a prestige play, and with the reticence of major studios to take big chances on proven filmmakers, it shows the opportunity for an indie company with backing and balls.
When I interviewed Scorsese for Hugo during our awards season coverage two years ago, I asked him about why his passion for Silence has never waned. Here is what he said:
DEADLINE: You've tried to adapt the Shusaku Endo novel Silence, about 17th Century Jesuits who risk their lives to bring Christianity to Japan. It isn't commercial, it has been hard to finance, but it looks like you'll finally get your chance to make it. Why has it been so important to you?
SCORSESE: My initial interests in life were very strongly formed by what I took seriously at that time, and 45-50 years ago I was steeped in the Roman Catholic religion. As you get older, ideas go and come. Questions, answers, loss of the answer again and more questions, and this is what really interests me. Yes, the Cinema and the people in my life and my family are most important, but ultimately as you get older, there's got to be more. Much, much more. The very nature of secularism right now is really fascinating to me, but at the same time do you wipe away what could be more enriching in your life, which is an appreciation or some sort of search for that which is spiritual and transcends? That's one of the reasons why I made the George Harrison documentary. Silence is just something that I'm drawn to in that way. It's been an obsession, it has to be done and now is the time to do it. It's a strong, wonderful true story, a thriller in a way, but it deals with those questions.
DEADLINE: Are the questions you're asking here similar to the questions that drew you to Last Temptation of Christ?
SCORSESE: Yes, but this is a different line of questioning.
DEADLINE: We Catholics are always struggling for answers.
SCORSESE: There are no answers. We all know that. You try to live in the grace that you can. But there are no answers, but the point is, you keep looking. Because people tell you science tells us everything. Science doesn't! They just have discovered these Neutrinos that go faster than the speed of light. And there is this idea that once we got to a point in the mid-20th century and now the 21st century where everything is known in a sense, right? Well, we don't! We don't really know everything. I mean, yes, we don't know what happened in the Big Bang, but we understand the idea of progress. But have we really progressed? We've progressed on the outside, but what about inside? What about the soul and the heart? Without trying to sound pompous and ridiculous, I can tell you this is where my interest is.
Andrew Garfield & Ken Watanabe Join Martin Scorsese's Japanese-Langauge 'Silence'
via The Playlist
When it was announced last month that Martin Scorsese's long-developing dream project "Silence" was finally getting made, with a shoot next year in the works, we tempered our excitement. We had heard this before, more than once, and for a variety of reasons, the movie never happened. But today comes some great news, as not only is it moving forward, but the film has found it's first actor.
Andrew Garfield and Ken Watanabe are now on board the film, with Variety sitting down the with the filmmaker who also reveals that "Silence" will be a Japaense-language film. An adaptation of Shusaku Endo's novel, the story will follow two 17th century Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. Garfield will be playing the Portuguese Father Rodrigues, who goes to Japan to follow up on rumors that his mentor has abandoned the church, with Watanabe as his translator. Obviously, this will be a smaller scale, niche effort than the director's past works, but it could also be somewhat of a genre flick, if viewed from a particular angle.
"Then again, it's a thriller. Thriller meaning they are undercover," he said. "I'm interested in this, whether it's undercover priests or undercover cops." Location scouting is underway, Robbie Robertson may reunite with the filmmaker to score the movie, Issei Ogata is also on board, and filming is aiming for July 2014.
While many will point to the once rumored cast of Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio Del Toro and Gael Garcia Bernal, this is still a pretty solid round up of actors, and before Garfield was swinging through Manhattan, he earned attention for his turns in fare like "Boy A" and the "Red Riding" trilogy, so we're excited to see what he'll do here. And Watanabe has already proven his bonafides in pictures with Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan, Rob Marshall and more.
Martin Scorsese talks new movie: Cannes 2013
The legendary director to make Mean Streets-meets-Kundun.
Source: Total Film
In Cannes to raise funds for his long-cherished project Silence, Martin Scorsese sits on a yacht in his best grey suit, sipping champagne.
"The subject matter is very close to my heart," he tells Total Film. "I've been working on it since I first read the book [Shusaku Endo's 1966 masterpiece of the same name] in 1989."
Having finally overcome legal matters and wrangled a workable script by scribe Jay Cocks (The Age Of Innocence, Gangs Of New York), Scorsese hopes to shoot in 2014.
He describes the project as a "smaller film" requiring a "smaller approach, more internal", but unleashes his famous honking laugh when he admits "there is landscape".
Quite. Set in the 17th century, Silence deals with two Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they leave New York to head for Japan in order to spread Christianity.
For Scorsese, it's an unquestionably personal film.
"It goes back to growing up in New York, living in an area that was pretty tough, and also the church at the same time," he says.
"It's similar to Mean Streets, in a way," he continues. "It deals with spiritual matters in a concrete, physical world; a world where invariably the worst of human nature is revealed."
But, tantalisingly, the 71-year-old director also refers to Silence as a "suspenseful film, with elements of a thriller... it combines that with themes that were overt in Kundun and Bringing Out The Dead."
Scorsese has already cast Andrew Garfield in the lead and has actors in mind for the other key roles. He's not telling just yet, but he does say, "There's an older Jesuit, in his 50s, and another young priest. I have to cast the older gentleman before I can cast the younger one."
We can only pray that Robert De Niro is sitting by his phone...
Adam Driver Joins Martin Scorsese's 'Silence'
via The Playlist
While officially it's not quite 100%, it's widely expected that Scorsese will shoot his long, long-developing dream project "Silence" this year, and Driver has joined the cast. An adaptation of Shusaku Endo's novel, the story will follow two 17th-century Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. Driver will join a cast that includes Andrew Garfield, Ken Watanabe and Issei Ogata with a July shoot previously reported.
Liam Neeson To Star In Martin Scorsese's 'Silence'
BY MIKE FLEMING JR | Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Liam Neeson will star with Andrew Garfield and Ken Watanabe in Silence, the Martin Scorsese-directed adaptation of Shusaku Endo's novel about 17th century Jesuits who to try bring Christianity to isolated Japan. The film is being financed by Emmett/Furla/Oasis, Corsan and A1. Emmett/Furla/Oasis just funded Lone Survivor. The script is by Jay Cocks and Scorsese and production will begin in Taiwan later this year.
Neeson is scheduled to reprise in Taken 3, but while Neeson has remade himself as an action star, Silence brings him back to the kind of work he did in Schindler's List and in the Scorsese-directed Gangs Of New York. The film is produced by Irwin Winkler, Randall Emmett and George Furla, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Checchi Gori, Barbara DeFina and Paul Breuls, with Niels Juul exec producing. Neeson, who next stars in the action film Non-Stop, voices a role in The Lego Movie, and stars in the Seth MacFarlane-directed A Million Ways To Die In The West and A Walk Among The Tombstones, is repped by CAA.
This should be something, given that Scorsese has dreamed of making the picture for two decades. His The Wolf Of Wall Street is up for five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
every time I watch Gangs I wish Neeson would have more scenes. There's something about the possibility of seeing a collaboration between these two that's really exciting.
Quote from: Alexandro on January 31, 2014, 03:06:47 PM
every time I watch Gangs I wish Neeson would have more scenes. There's something about the possibility of seeing a collaboration between these two that's really exciting.
That reminded me of one thing. Looks like DDL and Liam exchanged their roles: "Lincoln" for "Silence".
Martin Scorsese's 'Silence' Planned For 2015 Awards Season Release
via The Playlist
Martin Scorsese's forever brewing dream project "Silence" is finally going to shoot this year, and Paramount are in talks to pick up the U.S. rights for the drama, with plans for a November 2015 release date. Based on the book by Shusaku Endo, the story will follow two 17th-century Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity. Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Ken Watanabe and Adam Driver are all lined up for roles, and production was at one time supposed to begin this month, though it's not clear if that's still the plan.
Martin Scorsese's long-gestating Silence is finally a go
via The AV Club
After nearly 20 years of false starts, Deadline reports that a Martin Scorsese passion project has finally secured its funding. Silence, based on the Shusaku Endo novel about Jesuit missionaries facing persecution in 17th-century Japan, will begin production in Taiwan on January 30. Fábrica de Cine and SharpSword Films have now committed to financing the movie, which is being targeted for a 2016 release by Paramount Pictures. In a statement, Scorsese said, "I've wanted to make Silence for almost two decades, and it is finally a reality."
The last time it took this long for Scorsese to get a project together was Gangs Of New York, which the director tried to make with The Clash in the late '70s and finally made it to the screen in 2002 with Daniel Day-Lewis and Scorsese's then-newfound muse Leonardo DiCaprio. Amazingly, DiCaprio won't appear in Silence, and will be presumably sitting on a jet ski in Ibiza with a model while filming is under way. After going through a Gangs Of New York-style set of permutations over the years, the cast of Silence now includes Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Ichi The Killer and Thor actor Tadanobu Asano, replacing Ken Watanabe as, we hope, a guy who keeps shushing everyone.
One dead, two injured in accident on set of Martin Scorsese's Silence
via The AV Club
As reported by CNN, a building has collapsed on the set of Martin Scorsese's Silence, killing one construction worker and injuring two others. The movie—which is about two priests teaching Japanese people about Christianity in the 17th century—is currently being filmed in Taiwan, and the workers were all apparently repairing a structure of some sort that someone involved in the filming worried was unsafe.
This incident comes almost a year after 27-year-old camera assistant Sarah Jones was killed on the set of Midnight Rider, which set off a series of lawsuits and calls for change in how movies are filmed. According to CNN's report, the Taiwanese police are currently determining if any laws were broken, though nobody involved in Silence has been charged with anything yet. The film's publicist, Leslee Dart, put out a statement saying, "Everyone is in shock and sorrow, and expresses their deepest concern and sympathy to the families of the individual who died and those who were injured."
George Lucas: toldja so, Marty. You keep building your damn sets... CGI saves lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqrgxZLd_gE
Looks... good?
I'm not sure what accent Andrew Garfield is attempting, but I'm pretty sure he's not nailing it.
EDIT: Wikipedia informs me the character is intended to be Portuguese. He's definitely not nailing it.
In the beginning it kinda sounded half Jamaican.
After all this time, the trailer seems a little anti-climatic, though I'm sure it'll be an incredible experience once the imagery gets to breathe more in the film itself. Some of those images, like the crucified people against the waves, looked really intense.
Adam Driver's accent might even be worse. We just don't get to hear enough of it to confirm. As good as I assume the movie itself will be, that's going to make it a tough watch for me.
It's spot-on compared to Ewan McGregor's French accent in Beauty and the Beast.
In 1990, Martin Scorsese has a passionate idea of an American adaptation of the Shūsaku Endō's novel, of the same name. For the past 30 years, this film has been through numerous feats of development hell from casting changes to lawsuits. Thankfully after directing one of my favorite films, Hugo, he dove right back into working on his third and arguably the most powerful faith-based film to date.
http://www.rendyreviews.com/movies//silence-review
Screenplay (http://www.paramountguilds.com/pdf/silence.pdf)
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/thedirectorscut/episode-56-silence-with-martin-scorsese-and-alexander-payne[/soundcloud]
Thanks for the screenplay link. If you backtrack the website address, you will also find the screenplay for Arrival.
I thought this was a beautiful film. I have it at #2 of my favorite 2016 films right now.
I saw this and The Revenant for the first time within a 24 hour period. Both films transport you to another time, and both can be brutal at times.
SPOILERS
I thought it was a cool choice to start the film with the sound of crickets, then the title came up and they cut the sound. Then the crickets come back at the end titles. The final shot was a surprise. I'm trying to think of final shot reveals that Scorsese has done. The rat at the end of The Departed comes to mind. I don't know how I feel about the inquisitor being so "goofily" played. Maybe this type of behavior is part of that culture that I don't understand as an American.
Falters every now and then and has a bit of a shaky start but it just gets more and more compelling as the film continues. Some truly different directing work here and once again I'm torn over Schoonmaker's editing.
I think this is a movie that would be interesting through the lenses of many other filmmakers. Apparently, the author of the original novel was someone who struggled with his Catholic faith, the same as Scorsese- though perhaps in a different manner. So other interpretations would be cool. The book's been on my reading list for a while, I definitely want to give it a go and see if and how Scorsese diverges from it (I hear it's pretty darn faithful though).
Leading into SEMI-SPOILERS:
Regardless, we still got a film that is complex in its approach to its faith. By the end, it offers some form of conclusion that may or may not affirm /validate the suffering of the protagonists but it doesn't entirely seem like a simple (or easily earned) conclusion.
While the idea of the 'silence of god' is crucial, I was really interested in the ideas of the context of religion- talks about the swamps and roots. In the absence of proper religious instruction, a faith evolves and changes, absorbing qualities of local traditions and ultimately a misunderstanding of the faith itself and its principles. It was great how the confusion over reinterpreting faith and doing the right thing according to your beliefs seemed very human and very real. Scorsese (once again) manages to moralise in a non-preachy way. No black or white, no easy answers.
Quote from: tpfkabi on February 19, 2017, 05:27:24 PMI don't know how I feel about the inquisitor being so "goofily" played. Maybe this type of behavior is part of that culture that I don't understand as an American.
I'm kinda glad he was. The film was very serious and he provided something that was amusing and yet unsettling. There's an air of politeness and intellectual respect mingling with sinisterness, brutality and injustice from the antagonistic forces in the film.
Unrelated- there's a shot where the Inquisitor looks like he's physically deflating and shrinking. I was so surprised by it that I was half-expecting something hallucinatory or supernatural to happen.
I had a day off of work and was going to catch this, then didn't.
Then it was out of theaters.
God, I wish I had had the chance to see it on the big screen.
...of course, by saying that last bit to God, perhaps I'm just praying to...silence?
Quote from: Lottery on February 21, 2017, 08:04:28 AM
Some truly different directing work here and once again I'm torn over Schoonmaker's editing.
I think this is a movie that would be interesting through the lenses of many other filmmakers. Apparently, the author of the original novel was someone who struggled with his Catholic faith, the same as Scorsese- though perhaps in a different manner. So other interpretations would be cool.
The more and more I think about this film, the more and more I admire it (maybe it's the story, because it's a bloody exceptional story) but looking back, I think Scorsese is a weird director for this stylistically. Scorsese has experience with period dramas and religion-themed movies but some of the movie feels really bizarre at times in regard to the directing/editing. Despite the seemingly odd pairing of content and filmmaker, it still succeeds.
Has anyone seen the Shinoda film?
There are some superb scenes in this film, and without seeing the Endo/Shinoda version or reading the novel I don't feel it's right to say this, but part of me thinks that the definitive version of this story is yet to exist.
I've seen it twice and admire it deeply. This is a film with high ambitions and I gotta say it's a grower. What it does in terms of conveying an inner spiritual struggle with such strong cohesivness is something to enjoy and admire. There are plenty of inspired moments of quiet transcendence (what about that brief yet powerfull completely silent bit when one of the japanese sees the crucifix and is moved to tears by it's sight?). But this is no picnic. And to be honest I'm still struggling with Andrew Garfield's performance, which is not really only a performance problem but a direction problem (I guess). Maybe that's the point, but all three main characters in Scorsese's religious pictures (Last temptation, Kundun and this) are so involved, or should we say self involved in their spiritual and faith related inner struggles that you can't get to know them at all outside of them. In the rest of Scorsese's filmography, personality traits and character idiosyncrasies always nurture the total portrait of these human beings, but not so with Jesus, the Dalai Lama and father Rodrigues. The thing is that the first two are religious icons, and their mystic nature may be justified, while Rodrigues is a "normal" human being, yet I don't know if he is insecure, if he has a sense of humor; he's dead set on this faith mission, and barely utters a word about anything else.
Experience tells me this perception will not change, and that this is the way the character and the film are constructed. It's a bit of a shame if that's it, cause when Liam Neeson appears, he injects a lot of gravitas to his character, and he manages to give more layers to HIS dilemma than Garfield does. However, the film is too dense and packs too much for me to be able to say with all certainty that any of this is set in stone. I'll have to see it a couple more times to re evaluate.