As a long time fan of director Martin Scorsese, I’m glad to see him getting rave reviews for his latest movie, Hugo.
Scorsese definitely deserves props for using 3D in a way that enhances the film – instead of lazily exploiting the medium and making it feel like a tacked on gimmick. A long time lover of 3D, he’s apparently got 3D fever, and is even considering making his next two films in the rapidly evolving format.
As it turns out, neither film is a typical candidate for 3D, but many have hoped that 3D can be applied to just about any movie, and this theory could be put to the test with Silence, along with a biopic about Frank Sinatra.
Silence is a project Scorsese has wanted to make for a long time, and according to IndieWire, it’s based on a novel about two Jesuit priests traveling to Japan in the 17th century to and teach the ways of Christianity. (Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio Del Toro and Gael Garcia Bernal are all reportedly up for roles in Silence, and long time Scorsese friend and collaborator Jay Cocks wrote the script).
Scorsese is also considering making his Sinatra biopic in 3D, which IndieWire reports “is still a long way off.” A draft of the script was apparently penned by Phil Alden Robinson, who also wrote Field of Dreams, but a new screenwriter to work on the script is being sought, and having lead a very volatile and controversial life, it will probably be difficult to get a movie in motion that meets the Sinatra family’s approval.
Not to mention, who on earth can play Frank? It will definitely be a tough search for the right actor, who also hopefully won’t have to sing like Mr. S, one of the toughest voices to imitate. Music biopics are tough to pull off, period, and Sinatra doesn’t deserve the VH1 treatment in a million years, which is why the thought of Scorsese tackling the life of Sinatra has a lot of potential.
Clearly, the Sinatra biopic project won’t be easy to get off the ground, but at least with Scorsese, the film has a real shot at being something special. And in 3D? Well, the mind simply boggles…
