Martin Scorsese's unrealized projects

Scorsese said that in the early 1960s, while he was still trying to make his first feature, he had considered making a film of the gospel, but set on the Lower East Side in the tenements of contemporary Manhattan. The film was to have been shot in black-and-white with the Jesus crucifixion filmed on the West Side docks, but after Scorsese saw Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew, he decided to abandon the project.{{cite magazine|last=Cooper|first=Rand Richards|url=https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/interview-martin-scorsese|title=An Interview with Martin Scorsese|magazine=Commonweal|date=December 15, 2016|access-date=September 14, 2023}}

Scorsese originally intended for Who's That Knocking at My Door and Mean Streets to be the second and third installments in a planned "spiritual trilogy" of films that dealt with themes of crime and Catholic guilt. The first, titled Jerusalem, Jerusalem, would have starred Harvey Keitel in the role of J.R. and was centered around a seminary retreat.

{{Main|The Honeymoon Killers}}

Scorsese was originally hired to direct The Honeymoon Killers as his second film in 1969, when it was under the working title Dear Martha, but he was fired by the film's producer early into the shoot for working too slowly. Only a few scenes he directed remain in the finished film.{{cite news|last=Grimes|first=William|title=Behind the Filming of 'The Honeymoon Killers'|date=October 20, 1992|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/20/movies/behind-the-filming-of-the-honeymoon-killers.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=September 10, 2022}}{{cite book|last=Raymond|first=Marc|year=2014|title=A Companion to Martin Scorsese|editor=Baker, Aaron|chapter=How Scorsese Became Scorsese|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|location=Malden, Massachusetts|isbn=978-1-444-33861-4|page=20}} According to Scorsese, he attempted to craft a film in the vein of Carl Theodor Dreyer. "Instead of just making the film, I was trying to make a reputation. And I twisted and turned it in different ways stylistically. I tried to make it something it shouldn't have been," he conceded, "I was fired from that after one week, and rightly so."{{cite book|author=Schickel, Richard|year=2011|publisher=Knopf Doubleday|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ljPBGqCn3ccC|title=Conversations with Scorsese|isbn=9780307595461|pages=74–89}}

In 1969, Scorsese and screenwriter Jay Cocks approached author Philip K. Dick about adapting his dystopian sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? to film. Though the two never got around to optioning the rights, Dick's novel was eventually made as the film Blade Runner, in 1982.{{cite magazine|last=Schulman|first=Michael|title=The Battle for Blade Runner|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/09/the-battle-for-blade-runner-harrison-ford-ridley-scott|access-date=September 15, 2017|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=September 11, 2023}}

Scorsese also started work on a war film in 1969, and later stated that it "was supposed to end with the opening speech from Patton". Oliver Wood was going to be the cinematographer and it was going to be shot using 16 mm film, except for an erotic flashback using 35 mm film, using the color palette of a 1940s film. He had to wait until after Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore to begin production, but it was cancelled two days before filming was set to begin due to financial problems.{{sfn|Wilson|2011|p=31}}

{{Main|Serpico}}

Scorsese almost directed Al Pacino in 1973's Serpico.{{cite magazine|last=Pope|first=Nick|url=https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a29955277/scorsese-al-pacino-modigliani-story/|title=The Strange Story Behind the Modigliani Movie (and Al Pacino's Doomed Attempt to Get it Made)|magazine=Esquire|date=May 15, 2023|access-date=September 11, 2023}}

{{Main|The Godfather Part II}}

Francis Ford Coppola first met with Scorsese about directing The Godfather sequel, impressed with his talent and not wanting to do it himself at the time. Despite campaigning to have Scorsese hired, the executives at Paramount Pictures refused to have someone other than Coppola.{{cite web |first=Charles |last=Barfield |url=https://theplaylist.net/francis-ford-coppola-godfather-drama-20190513/ |title=Francis Ford Coppola Explains How 'Patton' Saved His 'Godfather' Job & Why He Wanted Martin Scorsese To Helm The Sequel |date=May 13, 2019 |website=ThePlaylist.net |access-date=October 11, 2021}}{{cite web |last=Beggs |first=Scott |date=December 27, 2019 |title=12 Surprising Facts About 'The Godfather Part II' |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/607777/the-godfather-part-ii-movie-facts |access-date=September 10, 2022 |website=Mental Floss}}{{cite web |last=Jagernauth |first=Kevin |date=April 9, 2012 |title=5 Things You May Not Know About The 'The Godfather Part II' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2012/04/5-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-the-godfather-part-ii-252707/ |access-date=September 10, 2022 |website=IndieWire}} Scorsese later admitted that he would not have been the right choice to direct the film anyways: "I would've made something interesting, but [Coppola's] maturity was already there. I still had this kind of edgy thing, the wild kid running around."{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|url=https://deadline.com/2023/10/martin-scorsese-interview-killers-of-the-flower-moon-leonardo-dicaprio-robert-de-niro-1235359006/|title=Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio & Robert De Niro On How They Found The Emotional Handle For Their Cannes Epic 'Killers Of The Flower Moon'|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 16, 2023|access-date=September 11, 2023}}

{{Main|The Yakuza}}

Scorsese had read the script for, and sought to direct The Yakuza, though he was not the person that screenwriter Paul Schrader had wanted. Instead, Sydney Pollack was chosen.{{cite web|last=Mikulec|first=Sven|url=https://cinephiliabeyond.org/sydney-pollacks-the-yakuza-the-merging-of-two-worlds-in-a-timeless-gangster-classic/|title=Sydney Pollack's 'The Yakuza': The Merging of Two Worlds in a Timeless Gangster Classic|website=Cinephilia & Beyond}}

Scorsese was considering adapting several Fyodor Dostoevsky novels, in particularly Notes from Underground before he was offered Taxi Driver by Paul Schrader. Since the story and themes in Taxi Driver were heavily influenced by Notes from Underground, he didn't feel the need to repeat himself by making a similar film.

After the release of Taxi Driver, Scorsese was approached by actor Marlon Brando with the proposition of directing a film dramatization of the novel Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, about the infamous Lakota Indian massacre.{{cite magazine|last=Hodenfield|first=Chris|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/martin-scorseses-back-lot-sonata-50617/|title=Martin Scorsese's Back-Lot Sonata|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 16, 1977|access-date=September 11, 2023}} The adaptation never materialized.

Scorsese was one of the directors trying to get an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's book by the same name made, but was unsuccessful{{Cite web |last=Dee |first=Jake |date=2023-04-27 |title=WTF Happened to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? |url=https://www.joblo.com/wtf-happened-to-fear-and-loathing-in-las-vegas/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=JoBlo |language=en-US}}

Scorsese nearly directed a film of Anne Edwards' novel Haunted Summer, about the creation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and the summer she spent with poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. He ultimately opted to do New York, New York instead.{{cite book |author=Scorsese, Martin |title=Scorsese on Scorsese |publisher=Faber & Faber |date=1990 |url=https://archive.org/details/scorseseonscorse0000scor_q9s3 |isbn=9780571176724|page=68}}

In 1978, Scorsese began working on a new script with Jay Cocks titled Night Life, which dealt with "a fraternal rivalry".{{cite book |author=Scorsese, Martin |title=Scorsese on Scorsese |publisher=Faber & Faber |date=1990 |url=https://archive.org/details/scorseseonscorse0000scor_q9s3 |isbn=9780571176724|page=76}} However, he withdrew from the project as some of the ideas for Night Life were incorporated into Raging Bull and he was hired to direct The King of Comedy.{{sfn|Wilson|2011|p=114}}

In the late 1970s, Scorsese and Robert De Niro wanted to make a feature film out of a short story called "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" by Delmore Schwartz, and had worked on a script briefly before switching gears to Raging Bull. Later, Scorsese toyed with the notion of adapting the story for his short film segment of New York Stories.{{cite web|last=Scorsese|first=Martin|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/24/martin-scorsese-on-lou-reed-he-spoke-the-language-of-people-with-nothing|title=Martin Scorsese on Lou Reed: 'He spoke the language of people with nothing'|work=The Guardian|date=October 24, 2019|access-date=September 14, 2023}}

Sometime in the early 1980s, Scorsese became interested in developing and directing a film biopic centered on the Jim Morrison story, and of his band The Doors. Other directors who actively pursued this project around the same time included the likes of William Friedkin and Francis Ford Coppola, before Oliver Stone made the eventual 1991 biopic.{{cite book|author=Riordan, James|date=1995|url=https://archive.org/details/stonecontroversi0000rior|title=Stone: The Controversies, Excesses, and Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker|location=New York|publisher=Aurum Pres.|isbn=1-85410-444-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/stonecontroversi0000rior/page/308 308]}}{{cite news|last=Broeske|first=Pat H.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-07-ca-509-story.html|title=Jim Morrison: Back to the Sixties, Darkly : The storm still swirls around a generation's ultimate bad boy as Oliver Stone prepares to bring his story to the screen|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 7, 1990|access-date=January 25, 2024}}

A separate remake of Scarface was pursued by Scorsese and Robert De Niro, who had urged Al Pacino to suggest a director to producer Martin Bregman, otherwise De Niro would take on the lead role himself in the Scorsese version. Pacino eventually settled on Brian De Palma.{{cite magazine|last=Bose|first=Swapnil Dhruv|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/martin-scorsese-robert-de-niro-scarface/?amp|title=The story of how Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro almost made 'Scarface'|magazine=Far Out|date=June 16, 2022|access-date=September 24, 2023}}{{cite magazine|last=Ferrier|first=Aimee|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/martin-scorsese-and-robert-de-niro-were-both-in-line-to-make-scarface-together/?amp|title=Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro were both in line to make 'Scarface' together|magazine=Far Out|date=October 5, 2022|access-date=September 24, 2023}}

{{Main|Little Shop of Horrors (film)}}

In 1983, producer David Geffen was initially going to team with Steven Spielberg and Scorsese for the film adaptation of the off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors, to be shot in 3-D.{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/57398|title=AFI|Catalog - Little Shop of Horrors|website=AFI Catalog|access-date=October 7, 2023}} With Scorsese at the helm and Spielberg as an executive producer, plans for this version ultimately fell through{{cite web|last=Patrick|first=Seb|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/little-shop-of-horrors-the-tale-of-its-lost-ending/|title=Little Shop Of Horrors & the Tale of its Lost Ending|website=Den of Geek|date=December 19, 2019|access-date=October 7, 2023}} when a lawsuit was filed by the original film's screenwriter and actor, Charles B. Griffith.

{{Main|Beverly Hills Cop}}

Scorsese admitted he turned down the offer to direct Beverly Hills Cop.{{cite web |date=February 3, 2020 |title=Martin Scorsese turned down Beverly Hills Cop |url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2020/0203/1112788-martin-scorsese-turned-down-beverly-hills-cop/ |access-date=September 10, 2022 |website=RTÉ.ie}}

{{Main|Witness (1985 film)}}

Scorsese also turned down the offer to direct Witness.{{cite news |last=Hinson |first=Hal |date=November 24, 1991 |title=SCORSESE, MASTER OF THE RAGE |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1991/11/24/scorsese-master-of-the-rage/28f9a23a-ae65-4986-af4e-da568cc93e1e/ |access-date=September 10, 2022}}

In 1984, Paul Schrader wrote a screenplay for a George Gershwin biopic for Scorsese to direct. In August 1993, it was reported that Scorsese was to direct a Gershwin film, with Robert De Niro and Richard Dreyfuss attached to star and the screenplay written by John Guare.{{cite news|title=GERSHWIN FILM BIO WILL IGNORE GOSSIP|date=August 6, 1993|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1993-08-06-9308050124-story.html|access-date=September 9, 2022}}

After development of Gershwin fell through, Scorsese and Paul Schrader began pursuing concepts for a potential remake of the 1952 film The Bad and the Beautiful, with Robert De Niro starring in the Kirk Douglas role. "It would be about our three lives: writer, director and actor," Schrader said, "So I did an outline and met [Scorsese and De Niro] both and it turned out to be very acrimonious." Schrader ultimately opted not to move forward as writer on the project following a screenwriting credit dispute with Scorsese.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/oct/31/martinscorsese|title=Ageing bulls return|work=The Guardian|date=October 31, 1999|access-date=September 11, 2023}}

In 1985, novelist Richard Price wrote a script for Scorsese based on the 1950 film noir Night and the City, which fellow filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier insisted he could do a great remake of. However, Scorsese was ultimately not interested in doing remakes at the time and decided to instead do The Color of Money, using Price as the writer.{{cite book |author=Scorsese, Martin |title=Scorsese on Scorsese |publisher=Faber & Faber |date=1990 |url=https://archive.org/details/scorseseonscorse0000scor_q9s3 |isbn=9780571176724|page=106}}

Though Dustin Hoffman was hesitant to star in the role, he had suggested Scorsese to direct an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel LaBrava for producer Walter Mirisch. At the end of 1985, when Hoffman finally committed to the role of ex-Secret Service agent Joe LaBrava, the film landed at the independent Cannon Films, after being rejected by Fox, Disney and Geffen. Despite securing funding, Scorsese balked at the prospect of making a film for a company he didn't know and decided to bail. For his part, Hoffman later said that Mirisch had set up the Cannon deal without his knowledge. LaBrava was eventually scrapped, after failure to find an available replacement director.{{cite web|last=Howe|first=Sean|url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/08/labrava-martin-scorsese-elmore-leonard-movie.html|title=How Martin Scorsese's Elmore Leonard Movie LaBrava Is One That Got Away|website=Vulture|date=August 13, 2013|access-date=September 12, 2023}}

{{Main|Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness}}

In the late 1970s, actor Al Pacino commissioned Richard Price to write a screenplay based on Modigliani: A Play in Three Acts, about the tragic life of 20th-century painter Amedeo Modigliani. Pacino showed the script to various directors, with the intention being for Pacino to star as the painter. In the late 1980s, Scorsese read the screenplay and loved it, and agreed to direct, telling Empire magazine in 2019: "It was about the extraordinary struggle to create art. The sadness of it, the absinthe [...] It really would have been something special, I think."{{cite magazine|last=De Semlyen|first=Nick|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/irishman-week-martin-scorsese-interview/|title=The Irishman Week: Empire's Martin Scorsese Interview|magazine=Empire|date=July 11, 2019|access-date=September 11, 2023}} Pacino and Scorsese shopped the project around studios, but faced constant rejection.{{cite web|last=Greenberger|first=Alex|url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/martin-scorsese-amedeo-modigliani-biopic-spike-lee-13478/|title=Martin Scorsese Almost Made an Amedeo Modigliani Biopic Starring Al Pacino|website=ARTnews|date=October 28, 2019|access-date=September 11, 2023}}

{{Main|The Sicilian (film)}}

Scorsese was one of the directors who turned down the offer to direct Steve Shagan's adaptation of The Sicilian. The film would eventually be rewritten and directed by Michael Cimino.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DESPzgEACAAJ|last=Elton|first=Charles|title=Cimino: The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate, and the Price of a Vision|year=2022|publisher=Abrams Press|isbn=9781419747113|page=229}}

{{Main|Dick Tracy (1990 film)}}

Scorsese was approached to direct Dick Tracy before Warren Beatty wound up directing the film.{{cite web |last=Cormier |first=Roger |date=June 15, 2015 |title=15 Hard-Boiled Facts About Dick Tracy |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65076/15-hard-boiled-facts-about-dick-tracy-its-25th-anniversary |access-date=September 10, 2022 |website=Mental Floss}}

{{Main|Schindler's List}}

In 1988, Steven Spielberg offered Scorsese the opportunity to direct Schindler's List, believing that he wasn't mature enough as a filmmaker to tackle the story.{{cite magazine|last=Thompson|first=Anne|title=Spielberg and 'Schindler's List': How it came together|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=January 21, 1994|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/01/21/spielberg-and-schindlers-list-how-it-came-together/|access-date=June 1, 2020|archive-date=May 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528214820/https://ew.com/article/1994/01/21/spielberg-and-schindlers-list-how-it-came-together/|url-status=live}} Scorsese developed it with screenwriter Steven Zaillian, but felt that Spielberg would be better to tell the story, as he was Jewish, and was still facing backlash for The Last Temptation of Christ.{{Cite news |last=Bergeson |first=Samantha |date=May 17, 2023 |title=Why Martin Scorsese Gave 'Schindler's List' to Steven Spielberg After 'Last Temptation of Christ' Backlash |work=IndieWire |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/martin-scorsese-schindlers-list-spielberg-last-temptation-of-christ-controversy-1234864545/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250331214907/https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/martin-scorsese-schindlers-list-spielberg-last-temptation-of-christ-controversy-1234864545/ |archive-date=March 31, 2025}} Spielberg similarly wanted to work on the film again, so he arranged for Scorsese to direct Cape Fear, which he had been developing, while Spielberg would return to Schindler's List.{{Cite web |last1=January 21 |first1=Anne Thompson |last2=EST |first2=1994 at 05:00 AM |title=From the EW archives: How Steven Spielberg brought 'Schindler's List' to life |url=https://ew.com/article/1994/01/21/spielberg-and-schindlers-list-how-it-came-together/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=EW.com}}{{Cite web |last=Bergeson |first=Samantha |date=2023-05-17 |title=Why Martin Scorsese Gave 'Schindler's List' to Steven Spielberg After 'Last Temptation of Christ' Backlash |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/martin-scorsese-schindlers-list-spielberg-last-temptation-of-christ-controversy-1234864545/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=IndieWire}}

In 1989, musician Robbie Robertson and Scorsese announced they were planning a sequel of sorts to The Last Waltz called Robbie Robertson and Friends. The project was initially going to be televised concert in collaboration with Peter Gabriel and U2, who were both unavailable at the time. Instead, Robertson expanded it into a theatrical film, explaining that it would be "a combination of The Red Shoes and All That Jazz, only dealing with music instead of dance."

In 1990, Scorsese signed on to direct a screenplay for Warner Bros. based on Alan Greenberg's biography Love in Vain, about the life of blues musician Robert Johnson. The film never came to fruition because it would have taken years to make.{{cite web|author=Greenberg, Alan|author-link=Alan Greenberg (film director)|url=https://uminnpressblog.com/2012/11/28/calling-hollywoods-bluff-summing-up-the-wild-love-in-vain-saga-part-3-of-3/|title=Calling Hollywood's bluff: Summing up the wild "Love in Vain" saga (Part 3 of 3)|website=University of Minnesota Press Blog|date=November 28, 2012|access-date=November 24, 2024}}{{cite web|last=Jackson|first=Jeff|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/unsung-rock-books-that-inspired-jeff-jacksons-new-novel.html|title=Novelist Jeff Jackson on the 4 Best Rock Chronicles You've Never Heard of|website=Vulture|date=November 2, 2018|access-date=November 24, 2024}}

Around 1990, following the critical and commercial success of Goodfellas, Scorsese pursued a film epic about Theodora's relationship with emperor Justinian I, and the founding of the Byzantine Empire. Novelist Gore Vidal was set up at Universal Pictures to write the script for Theodora, but the project never materialized. "Marty says that seven years is about right to get a picture made nowadays," said Vidal in 1994. "We're waiting on new technology, to show battle scenes without Ben-Hur prices."{{cite news|last=Dutka|first=Elaine|title=Hey, Maybe Leslie Nielsen Could Star in the Next Gore Vidal Script|date=July 3, 1994|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-03-ca-11441-story.html|access-date=September 9, 2022}}

Sometime in the early 1990s, Scorsese attempted to make a film based on the Lou Reed song "Dirty Blvd.", from his 1989 album New York. Playwright Reinaldo Povod wrote the screenplay, and had died shortly after its completion.

In 1992, Scorsese acquired the film adaptation rights to Nick Tosches's biography about Dean Martin titled Dino.{{cite web|title=Scorsese Betrays Dino|date=May 14, 2009|website=Military.com|url=https://www.military.com/undertheradar/2009/05/scorsese-betrays-dino|access-date=September 9, 2022}} Scorsese had Tom Hanks in mind to portray Martin. The ideal cast also consisted of John Travolta as Frank Sinatra, Hugh Grant as Peter Lawford, Adam Sandler as Joey Bishop and Jim Carrey as Jerry Lewis.{{cite magazine|last=Archerd|first=Army|title=Dean Martin bio waits for Hanks|date=July 30, 1998|magazine=Variety|url=https://variety.com/1998/voices/columns/dean-martin-bio-waits-for-hanks-1117478981/ |access-date=September 9, 2022}} The screenplay was written by Nicholas Pileggi.{{cite web|title=Stax takes an in depth look at Scorsese's DINO project|date=April 27, 1999|website=Ain't It Cool News|url=http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/3500|access-date=September 9, 2022}}{{cite web|author=Stax|title=The Stax Report: Script Review of Dino|date=May 29, 2003|website=IGN|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/30/the-stax-report-script-review-of-dino|access-date=September 9, 2022}} Scorsese also worked with on another script with Irwin Winkler and Paul Schrader about Martin's life during his "swinging Ocean's 11 days", before confirming in 2004 that he had given up on the project altogether.{{cite news|last=Szymanski|first=Mike|title=Scorsese's Dean Martin story will never be seen|date=December 21, 2004|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/movies/article/Scorsese-s-Dean-Martin-story-will-never-be-seen-1959081.php|accessdate=September 9, 2022}}{{cite news|last=Szymanski|first=Mike|title=SCORSESE GIVES UP ON DINO PROJECT|date=December 25, 2004|newspaper=News & Record|url=https://greensboro.com/scorsese-gives-up-on-dino-project/article_418219d5-1415-5218-bf9f-0ab4116343bc.html|accessdate=September 9, 2022}}

In May 1993, it was reported that Scorsese would potentially direct the American remake of the 1963 Akira Kurosawa film High and Low for Universal Pictures, with David Mamet and Richard Price writing the script.{{cite magazine |last=Marx |first=Andy |date=May 19, 1993 |title=U buys 'High' for Scorsese |url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/u-buys-high-for-scorsese-106956/ |magazine=Variety |accessdate=September 10, 2022}} Later, in 2008, it was reported that Mike Nichols was to direct Mamet's script, with Scorsese serving as executive producer.{{cite news |last=Child |first=Ben |date=October 29, 2008 |title=Scorsese gets Kurosawa remake in gear |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/oct/29/scorsese-kurosawa |accessdate=September 10, 2022}}{{cite web |last=Sciretta |first=Peter |date=October 29, 2008 |title=Mike Nichols, David Mamet And Martin Scorsese To Remake Akira Kurosawa's High And Low |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/501177/mike-nichols-david-mamet-and-martin-scorsese-to-remake-akira-kurosawas-high-and-low/ |accessdate=September 10, 2022 |website=Slash Film}}

In September 1993, it was reported that Scorsese had committed to directing star/producer Warren Beatty's long-in-development film Ocean of Storms. Beatty himself would have starred as an aging astronaut who returns to the space program after many years to recapture his former glory. The original script was written by Tony Bill and Ben Young Mason, with subsequent multiple revisions.{{cite news|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1993/09/10/scorsese-may-direct-astronaut-love-story/|title=SCORSESE MAY DIRECT ASTRONAUT LOVE STORY|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|date=September 10, 1993|access-date=December 12, 2023}}

{{Main|Clockers (film)}}

The film version of Richard Price's novel Clockers originally entered production with Scorsese attached to direct, having previously collaborated with author Price on his 1986 film The Color of Money. Scorsese eventually dropped out of production to focus on his passion project Casino, at which point Spike Lee stepped in to direct and rewrite the script. Scorsese remained a co-producer alongside Lee.{{cite web|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/sep/13/clockers-was-almost-a-great-movie/|title='Clockers' Was Almost A Great Movie|website=The Spokesman-Review|date=September 13, 1995}}

In 1994, Scorsese became attached to direct a new film on the gossip columnist and radio commentator Walter Winchell. The script was written by Steve Zaillian, adapted from the biography Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity by Neal Gabler.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/29/IHT-american-topics-90176035484.html|title=American Topics|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 29, 1994|access-date=April 4, 2025}} Dustin Hoffman and Tom Hanks were both, at different points, set to portray Winchell.{{cite web|title=Hanks, Travolta Line Up New Projects|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/04/21/hanks-travolta-line-up-new-projects|website=IGN|date=April 21, 2001|access-date=April 4, 2025}} Scorsese had considered making the film at various stages; following Kundun, Bringing Out the Dead,{{cite magazine|last=Fleming|first=Michael|url=https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/taxi-drivers-mull-reteam-1116676885/|title='Taxi' drivers mull reteam|magazine=Variety|date=July 15, 1997|access-date=April 4, 2025}} and Gangs of New York.{{cite web|last=Goodridge|first=Mike|url=https://www.screendaily.com/king-dicaprio-and-scorsese-re-team-for-alexander/407266.article|title=King, DiCaprio and Scorsese re-team for Alexander|website=Screen Daily|date=October 22, 2001|access-date=April 4, 2025}}

In 1995, following the publication and reception of Richard Pryor's autobiography Pryor Convictions: And Other Life Sentences, Scorsese started developing a film based on the book as a potential directing project. Damon Wayans was cast as the comedian, with Pryor himself and his wife Jennifer Lee consulting and Robert O'Hara writing the script. Filming was supposed to begin in late 1996 or early 1997, with the working title of Live, but the project was held up due to Scorsese's indecisiveness.{{cite web|last=Evans|first=Bradford|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/10/the-richard-pryor-biopics-16-years-in-development-hell.html|title=The Richard Pryor Biopic's 17 Years in Development Hell|website=Vulture|date=October 18, 2012|access-date=April 14, 2025}}

{{Main|Analyze This}}

Robert De Niro had apparently wanted Scorsese to direct Analyze This but he turned it down: "We already did it. It was Goodfellas," he told De Niro.

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In 1999, development began on a decade-spanning project Scorsese was attached to direct, initially with John Travolta and Tom Hanks both lined up to star as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, respectively. "Marty just can't get the script he wants," Travolta told the Ottawa Sun at the time, "otherwise we're all there."{{cite web|url=http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/3842|title=Travolta and Scorsese's RAT PACK film...DINO|website=Ain't It Cool News|date=June 23, 1999|access-date=January 2, 2025}} This was originally meant to be a biopic of the Rat Pack group, but ended up morphing into a film solely about Sinatra. Throughout the 2000s, the project was further developed, with Leonardo DiCaprio eventually landing the role of the singer in 2009, replacing Travolta. The project fell apart when an agreement could not be reached with the Sinatra estate.{{Cite web |date=2022-05-14 |title=Why Frank Sinatra's estate refused a Martin Scorsese biopic |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/martin-scorsese-frank-sinatra-biopic-refused/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}} Phil Alden Robinson was set to write the script, though Billy Ray{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=2012-08-13 |title=Billy Ray Takes On 'Sinatra' For Universal And Martin Scorsese |url=https://deadline.com/2012/08/billy-ray-takes-on-sinatra-for-universal-and-martin-scorsese-318099/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US}} and Michael Chabon were later attached at different stages.{{cite web|last=Kachka|first=Boris|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/11/michael-chabon-moonglow-c-v-r.html|title=Michael Chabon on His New Book, Why Bob Dylan Deserves the Nobel Prize, and President Trump's America|website=Vulture|date=November 20, 2016|access-date=January 14, 2025}} In 2024, Variety reported that Scorsese was returning to the feature and planning to shoot it back-to-back with A Life of Jesus. DiCaprio was still attached to star, with Jennifer Lawrence set to portray Ava Gardner.{{cite magazine|last=Siegel|first=Tatiana|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/martin-scorsese-frank-sinatra-biopic-dicaprio-jennifer-lawrence-1235973769/|title=Ageless Auteurs: Scorsese Eyes Frank Sinatra Biopic With Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Spielberg Tackling UFO Movie and More|magazine=Variety|date=April 17, 2024|access-date=April 19, 2024}}{{cite magazine|last=Sharf|first=Zach|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/martin-scorsese-failed-frank-sinatra-biopic-leonardo-dicaprio-1235974864/|title=Martin Scorsese Tried to Make a Sinatra Biopic With DiCaprio Years Ago but Clashed With the Singer's Family: 'They Can't Hold Back Certain Things'|magazine=Variety|date=April 18, 2024|access-date=April 19, 2024}} Soon after the announcement, Nancy Sinatra reposted a social media disapproval over the casting of both leads.{{cite tweet|number=1780658815622357268|user=TinseltownTwins|title=Sorry Leo and JLaw, you will never be them.|date=17 April 2024}}{{cite web|last=Ruimy|first=Jordan|url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/4/19/looks-like-nancy-sinatra-disapproves-of-scorseses-sinatra|title=Looks Like Nancy Sinatra Disapproves of Scorsese's 'Sinatra'|website=World of Reel|date=April 19, 2024|access-date=September 23, 2024}}{{cite web|last=Nash|first=Anthony|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1670970-nancy-sinatra-takes-shot-at-leonardo-dicaprio-jennifer-lawrences-reported-frank-sinatra-movie-casting|title=Nancy Sinatra Takes Shot at Leonardo DiCaprio & Jennifer Lawrence's Reported Frank Sinatra Movie Casting|website=ComingSoon.net|date=April 19, 2024|access-date=September 23, 2024}} By mid-August 2024, the film's November start date was cancelled.{{cite magazine|last=Davis|first=Clayton|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/martin-scorsese-jesus-christ-frank-sinatra-postponed-films-1236107109/|title=Martin Scorsese's Frank Sinatra Biopic and 'Life of Jesus' Postponed; New Filming Dates Unclear (EXCLUSIVE)|magazine=Variety|date=September 24, 2024|access-date=September 24, 2024}} Rodrigo Prieto was expected to serve as cinematographer on this version.{{cite web|last=Newman|first=Nick|url=https://thefilmstage.com/rodrigo-prieto-on-his-directorial-debut-martin-scorseses-snubs-and-taylor-swifts-feature-debut/|title=Rodrigo Prieto on His Directorial Debut, Martin Scorsese's Snubs, and Taylor Swift's Feature Debut|website=The Film Stage|date=November 26, 2024|access-date=November 26, 2024}}

Following Stanley Kubrick's death in 1999, the film rights to Patrick Süskind's 1981 novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer became available, and Scorsese was one of several directors interested in attaching himself to a potential adaptation of the story.{{cite magazine|last=Fleming|first=Michael|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/news/enticed-by-perfume-1117854528/|title=Enticed by 'Perfume'|magazine=Variety|date=October 18, 2001|access-date=November 27, 2023}} A version was later produced in 2006, directed by Tom Tykwer.

In 2000, Scorsese was on board to direct Gucci: A House Divided, described as a "sprawling epic tracking four generations of the Italian fashion dynasty" based on the 1987 book of the same title by Gerald McKnight. The project was being developed by Michael Ovitz' Artists Production Group.{{cite web|last=Brake|first=Scott|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/08/26/scorsese-slips-into-gucci|title=Scorsese Slips Into Gucci|website=IGN|date=August 26, 2000|access-date=November 24, 2023}}

In 2001, Leonardo DiCaprio was attached to a biopic of Alexander the Great, with Scorsese to direct a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Peter Buchman. DiCaprio later joined Baz Luhrmann's rival production based on Alexander,{{Cite web |last1=August 15 |first1=Gary Susman Updated |last2=EDT |first2=2002 at 04:00 AM |title=DiCaprio will play Alexander the Great for Luhrmann |url=https://ew.com/article/2002/08/15/dicaprio-will-play-alexander-great-luhrmann/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=EW.com |language=en}} though this version never came to fruition either. Ultimately, Oliver Stone's Alexander, starring Colin Farrell, was released in 2004.

In April 2002, it was reported that Scorsese was in negotiations with the David Lean Foundation to take on the late director's final film, an unfinished adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel Nostromo. As of the announcement, Marlon Brando and Sean Penn were said to be interested in the project, which had a provisional budget of £30 million.{{cite news|last=Hastings|first=Chris|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1391539/Scorsese-prepares-to-realise-David-Leans-dying-wish-It-was-a-real-labour-of-love.-He-completely-immersed-himself-in-the-film.-He-said-that-it-was-going-to-be-bigger-than-Lawrence.html|title=Scorsese prepares to realise David Lean's dying wish 'It was a real labour of love. He completely immersed himself in the film. He said that it was going to be bigger than Lawrence'|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=April 21, 2002|access-date=March 4, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305013937/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1391539/Scorsese-prepares-to-realise-David-Leans-dying-wish-It-was-a-real-labour-of-love.-He-completely-immersed-himself-in-the-film.-He-said-that-it-was-going-to-be-bigger-than-Lawrence.html|archive-date=March 5, 2025|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Groves|first=Don|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article/greatest-stories-never-told-nostromo/rslbzda3b|title=Greatest stories never told: Nostromo|publisher=Special Broadcasting Service|date=June 23, 2009|access-date=March 4, 2025}}

{{Main|Winter's Tale (film)}}

Around 2002, Warner Bros. attempted to sign Scorsese to direct an adaptation of Winter's Tale initially, but he turned down the job, calling Mark Helprin's novel "unfilmable."

In April 2003, DreamWorks Pictures optioned Thomas Eidson's Western epic St. Agnes' Stand for Scorsese to direct. Set in the 1860s, the novel follows a nun and a group of children who are rescued from a savage group of Apache Indians. Charles Randolph would have written the script.{{cite magazine|last=Bing|first=Jonathan|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/dreamworks-takes-stand-1117884705/|title=DreamWorks takes 'Stand'|magazine=Variety|date=April 15, 2003|access-date=September 24, 2023}}

Author Dan Simmons revealed at the University Book Store in 2003 that he had sold the movie rights to his Hyperion novel series to a major studio, claiming that Scorsese was interested in directing, with Leonardo DiCaprio as one of the main characters.{{cite web|url=http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/15798|title=Scorsese & DiCaprio to tackle the sci-fi epic series HYPERION'!'!'!'|website=Ain't It Cool News|date=August 5, 2003|access-date=September 12, 2023}}

In early 2004, Scorsese was developing an adaptation of Graham Greene's The Heart of the Matter as a potential directing vehicle, with Don Macpherson scripting. Scorsese reportedly read Greene's 1948 novel "as a young man and never forgot it." The film was to have been bankrolled through StudioCanal.{{cite web|author=Stax|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/01/23/the-heart-of-martin-scorsese|title=The Heart of Martin Scorsese|website=IGN|date=January 23, 2004|access-date=November 29, 2024}}

Following their work on The Aviator in 2004, Scorsese was set to direct Cate Blanchett in an adaptation of the Russell Banks novel The Darling. In 2012, Denis Villeneuve was set to direct the feature with Jessica Chastain starring.{{cite web|last=Jagernauth|first=Kevin|url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/jessica-chastain-reportedly-to-star-in-incendies-director-denis-villeneuves-adaptation-of-russell-banks-the-darling-255019/|title=Jessica Chastain Reportedly To Star In 'Incendies' Director Denis Villeneuve's Adaptation Of Russell Banks' 'The Darling'|website=IndieWire|date=December 16, 2011|access-date=April 18, 2024}}

In January 2005, Robert De Niro spoke of a possible sequel to Taxi Driver, featuring an older Travis Bickle, and that the project was being discussed between him and Scorsese.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/feb/02/news.xanbrooks |title=Scorsese and De Niro plan Taxi Driver sequel |work=The Guardian |date=February 5, 2005 |access-date=February 24, 2010 |first=Xan |last=Brooks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715003107/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/feb/02/news.xanbrooks |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |url-status=live}} In November 2013, De Niro revealed that original writer Paul Schrader had written a first draft, but that both he and Scorsese thought it was not good enough to proceed.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/14/robert-de-niro-travis-bickle-taxi-driver |title=Robert De Niro: 'I'd like to see where Travis Bickle is today' |work=The Guardian |date=November 14, 2013 |access-date=December 28, 2014 |first=Xan |last=Brooks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141124024134/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/14/robert-de-niro-travis-bickle-taxi-driver |archive-date=November 24, 2014 |url-status=live}}

In September 2005, Scorsese was developing a biopic at Paramount Pictures based on Edmund Morris' book The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, with Leonardo DiCaprio favored to star in the role of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt.{{cite magazine|last=Fleming|first=Michael|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/features/par-sez-bully-to-teddy-bio-1117928932/|title=Par sez bully to Teddy bio|magazine=Variety|date=September 11, 2005|access-date=April 4, 2025}} At that time, Nicholas Meyer was attached as writer, and the film was scheduled to begin shooting as early as 2008. In September 2017, the biopic Roosevelt was again revived with Scorsese directing and DiCaprio starring. Scott Bloom was to have written the script for the drama.{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|url=https://deadline.com/2017/09/leonardo-dicaprio-martin-scorsese-teddy-roosevelt-movie-paramount-1202177329/|title=Leonardo DiCaprio & Martin Scorsese Ride Again On Teddy Roosevelt Pic At Paramount|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=September 26, 2017|access-date=September 13, 2023}}{{cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Umberto |date=September 26, 2017 |title=Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese Reteam on Teddy Roosevelt Biopic |url=https://www.thewrap.com/leonardo-dicaprio-martin-scorsese-teddy-roosevelt-biopic/ |access-date=November 14, 2022 |website=TheWrap}}

In the mid-2000s, after reading the novel The Winter of Frankie Machine by Don Winslow, Robert De Niro expressed interest in starring in a film adaptation. Scorsese considered taking on the project at one point, with Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey ready to green-light the film.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-05 |title=Martin Scorsese Walked Away From A Greenlit Film Titled 'Frankie Machine' To Work On 'The Irishman' |url=https://theplaylist.net/martin-scorsese-frankie-machine-irishman-20191205/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=theplaylist.net |language=en-US}} Brian Koppelman and David Levien were set to script the project. However, Scorsese and De Niro decided they wanted to adapt I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, a book De Niro came across while preparing for his role, into a film instead (which would later become The Irishman).{{Cite web |date=2020-04-08 |title=Don Winslow's Take On Scorsese & De Niro Doing 'The Irishman' Over 'Frankie Machine:' 'I Blame Eric Roth' |url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/don-winslow-the-irishman-eric-roth-martin-scorsese-robert-deniro-winter-of-frankie-machine-column-1202903472/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US}}

Scorsese was offered by Warner Bros. to direct a sequel to his film The Departed. "What they wanted was a franchise," Scorsese later reflecting. "It wasn't about a moral issue of a person living or dying [...] They wanted the franchise. Which means: I can't work here anymore."{{cite magazine|last=Sharf|first=Zach|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/martin-scorsese-warner-bros-the-departed-franchise-1235735509/|title=Martin Scorsese Says WB Execs Were 'Very Sad' He Refused to Make 'The Departed' a Franchise, Spent His Own $500K to Finish 'Aviator' After Studios Cut Funding: 'Extremely Mean'|magazine=Variety|date=September 26, 2023}}

In December 2006, Scorsese sought to develop and possibly direct a film of the historical novel The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France through his four-year first-look deal at Paramount Pictures. Ridley Scott would later direct the adaptation, released in 2021.{{cite web|last=Green|first=Willow|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/scorsese-refereeing-last-duel/|title=Scorsese Refereeing The Last Duel|website=Empire Online|date=December 1, 2006|access-date=November 3, 2023}}{{cite web|author=IGN Staff|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/01/scorseses-last-duel|title=Scorsese's Last Duel|website=IGN|date=December 1, 2006|access-date=November 3, 2023}}

On February 27, 2007, it was reported that Paramount Pictures would be moving forward with The Long Play, a rock 'n roll epic to be directed by Scorsese.{{cite web|author=MW Staff|url=https://movieweb.com/martin-scorsese-and-william-monahan-reteam-for-the-long-play/|title=Martin Scorsese and William Monahan Reteam for The Long Play|website=MovieWeb|date=February 27, 2007|access-date=November 3, 2023}} William Monahan was set to rewrite the script for the film based on an idea by Mick Jagger which follows two friends through 40 years in the music industry, from the early days of R&B to contemporary hip-hop. Both Rich Cohen and Matthew Weiss did exhaustive research for the project and wrote several drafts.{{cite web|author=Sciretta, Peter|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/495581/william-monahan-and-martin-scorsese-hook-up-for-the-long-play/|title=William Monahan And Martin Scorsese Hook Up For The Long Play|website=/Film|date=February 27, 2007|access-date=November 3, 2023}}

{{Main|The Fighter}}

Star Mark Wahlberg offered Scorsese the script for The Fighter, who turned it down, finding the film's Massachusetts setting redundant after having finished The Departed.{{cite news|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/22/wahlberg-talks-the-fighter|title=Wahlberg Talks The Fighter|work=IGN|date=February 22, 2022|access-date=September 11, 2023}} Wahlberg later cited Scorsese's own Raging Bull as an influence for The Fighter, which would be directed by David O. Russell.

{{Main|Marley (film)}}

{{Expand section|date=March 2025}}

In 2008, Scorsese was set to direct a biopic/documentary on the musician Bob Marley.{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Francesca |date=2008-02-13 |title=Redemption biopic: Martin Scorsese to make movie about Bob Marley |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/feb/13/popandrock.bobmarley |access-date=2024-10-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

In 2008, The Boston Herald claimed that Scorsese had met with John Martorano, and had gotten Graham King to secure the rights to his life story, with William Monahan writing a script.{{Cite web |date=2008-12-29 |title=John Martorano flick is on Martin Scorsese's drawing board |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2008/12/29/john-martorano-flick-is-on-martin-scorseses-drawing-board/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Boston Herald |language=en-US}}

According to Paul Schrader, around 2009, he and Scorsese developed a crime series at HBO called Tokyo Underworld, set in post-war Tokyo.{{cite web|last=Patches|first=Matt|url=https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2018/6/11/17447590/first-reformed-paul-schrader-interview|title=First Reformed, Taxi Driver filmmaker Paul Schrader will change how you think about movies|website=Polygon|date=June 11, 2018|access-date=September 13, 2023}}

In June 2011, Paramount Pictures was finalizing a deal to develop a film as a directing vehicle for Scorsese about the Hollywood romance between actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, based on the book Furious Love, by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger. The film was to have been produced by Julie Yorn, Gary Foster and Russ Krasnoff of Krasnoff Foster Productions, and Scorsese through Sikelia.{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|url=https://deadline.com/2011/06/martin-scorsese-eyes-film-about-elizabeth-taylor-and-richard-burtons-torrid-love-affair-136741/|title=Martin Scorsese Eyes Film About Elizabeth Taylor And Richard Burton Love Affair|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 1, 2011|access-date=November 3, 2023}}

{{Main|The Gambler (2014 film)}}

In August 2011, Scorsese had been set up to direct Leonardo DiCaprio in The Gambler, a remake of the 1974 film, itself loosely adapted from the short novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. William Monahan, who had written Scorsese's The Departed which also starred DiCaprio, was set to write the adaptation for Paramount Pictures.{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|url=https://deadline.com/2011/08/leonardo-dicaprio-attached-to-the-gambler-remake-164107/|title=Leonardo DiCaprio Attached To 'Gambler' Remake At Paramount With Martin Scorsese|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=2011-08-26|access-date=2023-09-11}} Scorsese and DiCaprio both left the project the following year, though Monahan's draft remained in the finished product.

{{Main|The Snowman (2017 film)}}

In November 2011, Scorsese was set to direct The Snowman, with a script by Matthew Michael Carnahan. He later dropped out of the project.{{Cite web |last=Nina |date=2013-04-12 |title=Author Nesbø may lose Scorsese |url=https://www.newsinenglish.no/2013/04/12/author-nesbo-may-lose-scorsese/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no |language=en-US}}

In 2012, Scorsese announced he was making a documentary on ex-U.S. president Bill Clinton. The film was partially shot, but was shelved at the beginning of 2015 when Clinton was said to have asked for too much creative control over how he was portrayed. Scorsese has said the film could still be made someday.{{Cite news |date=2015-01-23 |title=Martin Scorsese Bill Clinton documentary 'shelved' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30947834 |access-date=2022-11-14}}

In 2013, a potential TV series based on Scorsese's film Gangs of New York was reported to be in the works from Miramax Television and GK Films. The series would have drawn from the events of the 2002 film and chronicle the birth of organized crime in America, taking place in New York, Chicago and New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century.{{cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/martin-scorsese-miramax-developing-gangs-431621/|title=Martin Scorsese, Miramax Developing 'Gangs of New York' TV Series|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=March 28, 2013|access-date=November 24, 2023}} In 2022, Scorsese was set to executive produce and direct the first two episodes of the series after reading Brett C. Leonard's script, which was then reported to be a new take on the story that features different characters entirely.{{cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|url=https://deadline.com/2022/10/gangs-of-new-york-tv-series-brett-leonard-martin-scorsese-miramax-tv-1235142088/ |title='Gangs Of New York' TV Series In Works At Miramax With Writer Brett Leonard; Martin Scorsese To Direct|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=October 13, 2022|access-date=September 24, 2023}}

In a 2014 essay for Vice, actor James Franco addressed that Scorsese had tried in vain, and failed to adapt the Cormac McCarthy novel Blood Meridian into a feature film.{{cite web|last=Stedman|first=Alex|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/cormac-mccarthys-infamously-unfilmable-novel-is-getting-turned-into-a-film|title=Cormac McCarthy's Infamously Unfilmable Novel Is Getting Turned Into a Film|website=IGN|date=April 28, 2023|access-date=September 13, 2023}}

On August 25, 2014, Scorsese was set to direct a television pilot for the series Ashecliffe, from a script by Dennis Lehane. It would have been a spinoff of Shutter Island taking place on the eponymous prison.{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=August 25, 2014 |title=HBO, Paramount Plot 'Shutter Island' Series 'Ashecliffe' With Martin Scorsese And Dennis Lehane |url=https://deadline.com/2014/08/hbo-paramount-shutter-island-tv-series-scorsese-824108/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

On August 28, 2014, Scorsese announced he'd direct a biopic about the punk rock band the Ramones.{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=August 28, 2014 |title=Not So Fast On 'Hey Ho, Let's Go' |url=https://deadline.com/2014/08/not-so-fast-on-hey-ho-lets-go-826143/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

In November 2014, Scorsese was reported to be directing a television series for HBO based on the life of Hernán Cortés, which would have been written by Chris Gerolmo, and executive produced by Scorsese, Gerolmo, and Benicio del Toro, who was interested in starring.{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=November 18, 2014 |title='Cortes' Drama From Martin Scorsese & Benicio Del Toro In Works At HBO |url=https://deadline.com/2014/11/martin-scorsese-benicio-del-toro-tv-show-cortes-hbo-1201287949/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

On March 13, 2015, Jamie Foxx announced that Scorsese would direct him in a Mike Tyson biopic, with a script by Terence Winter.{{Cite web |date=March 13, 2015 |title=Martin Scorsese Will Direct the Mike Tyson Movie |url=https://collider.com/martin-scorsese-mike-tyson-movie/ |access-date=May 21, 2021 |website=Collider}} Scorsese's version was still being worked on as of 2017,{{Cite web |date=January 11, 2017 |title=Mike Tyson Biopic Still A Go; Martin Scorsese Attached |url=https://screenrant.com/mike-tyson-movie-jamie-foxx-martin-scorsese/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=Screen Rant}} but was later redeveloped into a miniseries for Antoine Fuqua to direct.{{Cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=March 22, 2021 |title=Jamie Foxx's Mike Tyson Biopic To Become Limited TV Series Exec Produced By Antoine Fuqua & Martin Scorsese |url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/jamie-foxx-mike-tyson-authorized-biopic-series-antoine-fuqua-martin-scorsese-1234719145/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

On March 20, 2015, actor/director Kenneth Branagh told Kermode and Mayo's Film Review that his acclaimed 2013 stage production of Shakespeare's Macbeth was in the process of being made into a Scorsese-directed film version.{{cite web|title=Kenneth Branagh: Scorsese Macbeth 'practically there'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02mf4dm|website=bbc.co.uk|date=March 20, 2015|access-date=September 24, 2023}} The following month, in May, it was reported that Scorsese hoped to film a documentary about Branagh's production by reuniting the original cast and filming performances over the course of a few weeks in Leavesden.{{cite web|last=Purcell|first=Carey|url=https://playbill.com/article/kenneth-branaghs-gritty-immersive-macbeth-will-be-filmed-by-martin-scorsese-com-349218|title=Kenneth Branagh's Gritty, Immersive Macbeth Will Be Filmed By Martin Scorsese|website=Playbill|date=May 15, 2015|access-date=September 24, 2023}}{{cite web|last=Han|first=Angie|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/537781/martin-scorsese-macbeth-movie/|title=More Details Revealed On Martin Scorsese And Kenneth Branagh's 'Macbeth'|website=/Film|date=May 18, 2015|access-date=September 24, 2023}}

In August 2015, Scorsese signed on to direct an adaptation of The Devil in the White City for Paramount Pictures, with Billy Ray to write the script and Leonardo DiCaprio set to star as H. H. Holmes.{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/leonardo-dicaprio-and-martin-scorsese-reteam-for-126381256972.html|title=Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese Reteam for 'Devil in the White City'|website=Yahoo Entertainment|date=August 10, 2015|access-date=September 13, 2023}} It was later redeveloped as a miniseries for the streamer Hulu, starring Keanu Reeves, to be executive produced by Scorsese and DiCaprio, written by Sam Shaw, and directed by Todd Field. As of 2023, it was no longer being developed at Hulu, and was being shopped to other streamers.{{cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=March 7, 2023 |title='Devil in the White City' Series Not Moving Forward at Hulu |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/devil-in-the-white-city-series-dead-hulu-1235544498/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=Variety}} In 2025, the project was revived back into a film at 20th Century Studios, with Scorsese and DiCaprio entering negotiations as director and star, respectively.{{cite web |last1=Kroll |first1=Justin |title='Devil In The White City' Movie Revived At 20th Century With Leonardo DiCaprio And Martin Scorsese Eyeing Reunion |url=https://deadline.com/2025/01/leonardo-dicaprio-devil-in-the-white-city-martin-scorsese-movie-1236263710/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=23 January 2025 |date=January 22, 2025}}

{{Main|Maestro (2023 film)}}

In October 2015, Scorsese was attached as the initial director of the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, which was set up at Paramount Pictures.{{cite web|last=McClintock|first=Pamela|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/martin-scorsese-renews-deal-paramount-835026/|title=Martin Scorsese Renews Deal With Paramount Through 2019|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=October 28, 2015|access-date=February 12, 2025}} He stepped down to work on The Irishman, allowing Bradley Cooper to join the film in May 2018 as director and to star as Bernstein. Scorsese produced the film alongside Steven Spielberg.{{cite web |title=Bradley Cooper To Star In & Direct Leonard Bernstein Movie As Dueling Biopics Tune Up |url=https://deadline.com/2018/05/bradley-cooper-leonard-bernstein-movie-josh-singer-martin-scorsese-steven-spielberg-paramount-amblin-1202387292/ |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=May 10, 2018 |access-date=September 22, 2020 |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926044705/https://deadline.com/2018/05/bradley-cooper-leonard-bernstein-movie-josh-singer-martin-scorsese-steven-spielberg-paramount-amblin-1202387292/ |url-status=live }}

In 2016, Scorsese was reported to be in talks to direct a biopic of George Washington, from a script by Bill Collage and Adam Cooper.{{Cite web |last=TBDO |date=2016-04-27 |title={Exclusive} Martin Scorsese Circles George Washington Biopic "The General" From Red Granite |url=https://www.tracking-board.com/exclusive-martin-scorsese-circles-george-washington-biopic-the-general-from-red-granite/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=The Tracking Board |language=en-US}}

{{Main|Hustlers (film)}}

In early 2017, Lorene Scafaria's screenplay for Hustlers and a sizzle reel were sent to Scorsese and Adam McKay, the latter remained as a producer with interest of directing. Both passed and Scarfaria eventually directed the film herself.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/hustlers-oral-history.html|title=The Hustle Behind Hustlers How do you make a film about scamming rich white men in an industry run by rich white men? First step: Get J.Lo to sign on.|first=Rachel|last=Handler|publisher=Vulture|date=September 4, 2019|access-date=July 29, 2023}}

In February 2018, it was reported that Michael Hirst would collaborate with Scorsese for a television drama series which would tell the story of the early rulers of ancient Rome, starting with the rise to power of Julius Caesar. Titled The Caesars, a pilot episode had been written, with an outline for the rest of the season. Filming was expected to commence the following year in Italy.{{cite web|last=Alberge|first=Dalya|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/11/martin-scorsese-romans-tv-series-caesars-british-writer-michael-hirst|title=Martin Scorsese teams up with British writer for epic take on the Romans|website=The Guardian|date=February 10, 2018|access-date=November 3, 2023}}

In April 2021, Paul Schrader revealed in an interview for The New Yorker that he and Scorsese were at that time planning a three-year series about the origins of Christianity, to be titled The Apostles and Apocrypha.{{cite magazine|last=Brody|first=Richard|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/paul-schrader-on-making-and-watching-movies-in-the-age-of-netflix|title=Paul Schrader on Making and Watching Movies in the Age of Netflix|magazine=The New Yorker|date=April 22, 2021|access-date=November 3, 2023}}

In November 2021, Scorsese was set to direct and produce a biopic feature about rock band the Grateful Dead for Apple Studios featuring Jonah Hill as Jerry Garcia. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski were reported to be collaborating on the script for the biopic with Rick Yorn.{{cite news|title=Jonah Hill To Play Jerry Garcia In Martin Scorsese-Directed Grateful Dead Pic For Apple|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/jonah-hill-jerry-garcia-martin-scorsese-grateful-dead-pic-apple-1234875832/|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=18 November 2021|first=Justin|last=Kroll}}

In 2022, it was announced Scorsese would direct an adaptation of David Grann's non-fiction novel The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder for Apple Studios, reteaming once again with Leonardo DiCaprio.{{cite news|title=Leonardo DiCaprio & Martin Scorsese Reteam For Apple Film 'The Wager' Based On David Grann Book|url=https://deadline.com/2022/07/leonardo-dicaprio-martin-scorsese-reteam-for-apple-film-the-wager-1235081275/|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=29 July 2022|first=Matt|last=Grobar|access-date=4 August 2022}} This would have been the pair's next film following Killers of the Flower Moon. In 2023, Scorsese expressed hesitancy about the conditions of shooting on the water, which, according to him, might necessitate a co-director.{{cite web|last=Thompson|first=Anne|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/martin-scorsese-talks-killers-of-the-flower-moon-explained-1234918654/|title=Martin Scorsese, the Interview: On Reframing 'Killers,' Subverting DiCaprio's Star Power — and 'The Wager'|website=IndieWire|date=October 20, 2023|access-date=January 8, 2024}}

In May 2023, after meeting with Pope Francis, Scorsese said he was inspired to write and direct a new film about Jesus.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/global/martin-scorsese-pope-francis-film-about-jesus-1235627620/|title=Martin Scorsese Meets Pope Francis, Announces Film About Jesus – Report|work=Variety|date=29 May 2023|first=Nick|last=Vivarelli|access-date=29 May 2023}} Later that year, in September, Scorsese elaborated that it would feature staged scenes and not follow a straight narrative structure. He also said that he himself would appear in the film.{{cite magazine|last=Zacharek|first=Stephanie|url=https://time.com/collection/time100-leadership-series/6311403/martin-scorsese-killers-of-the-flower-moon-interview/|title=Martin Scorsese Still Has Stories to Tell|magazine=Time|date=September 12, 2023|access-date=September 24, 2023}} Speaking in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2024, Scorsese reaffirmed his intention to make the film after having completed the screenplay with critic and filmmaker Kent Jones, which they based on Shūsaku Endō's book A Life of Jesus. He envisioned it having a runtime of 80 minutes{{cite news|last=Whipp|first=Glenn|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2024-01-08/martin-scorsese-killers-of-the-flower-moon-new-jesus-film|title=For Martin Scorsese, it's all about forgiveness|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 8, 2024|access-date=January 8, 2024}} with a "partially modern day, partially ancient" setting, and planned to begin shooting in late April.{{cite magazine|last=Di Corpo|first=Ryan|url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/01/23/martin-scorsese-catholic-film-killers-flower-moon-246994|title=Exclusive: Martin Scorsese on 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' the American Dream and his new film about Jesus|magazine=America|date=January 23, 2024|access-date=January 28, 2024}} By April, Andrew Garfield and Miles Teller were eyed to join the film in undisclosed roles, with the start date for production then moved to later that year in Israel, Egypt and Italy. However, in September it was reported that these plans had been cancelled.

In September 2023, Scorsese made it known that he had several more film projects he wanted to make, among them an adaptation of Marilynne Robinson's Home. He first began working on the script with filmmaker Todd Field, and later Kent Jones, prior to the WGA strike.{{cite magazine|last=Baron|first=Zach|url= https://www.gq.com/story/martin-scorsese-profile|title= Martin Scorsese: "I Have To Find Out Who The Hell I Am."|magazine=GQ|date=September 25, 2023|access-date= September 26, 2023}} On November 14, 2024, Home was still "a very strong possibility" to be Scorsese's next film, but was being held up by a scheduling issue.{{cite web|last=Coyle|first=Jake|url=https://apnews.com/article/martin-scorsese-saints-fox-df1b10e984c32c96a8eb0d0515b1d7c1|title=Martin Scorsese on the saints, faith in filmmaking and what his next movie might be|website=Associated Press|date=November 14, 2024|access-date=November 14, 2024}} On November 21, 2024, Apple Studios landed the property, with one "key A-lister" reportedly lined up for the lead role.{{cite web|last=Ruimy|first=Jordan|url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/11/21/martin-scorseses-home-lands-at-apple-studios|title=Martin Scorsese's 'Home' Lands at Apple Studios|website=World of Reel|date=November 21, 2024|access-date=March 10, 2025}} In 2025, Publishers Weekly confirmed Leonardo DiCaprio's casting, as well as Field's involvement as co-writer/producer of the film.{{cite web|last=Maher|first=John|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/page-to-screen/article/97295-martin-scorsese-to-adapt-marilynne-robinson-s-gilead-novels.html|title=Martin Scorsese to Adapt Marilynne Robinson's 'Home'|website=Publishers Weekly|date=March 10, 2025|access-date=March 10, 2025}}

In October 2023, Scorsese disclosed that he, Todd Field and Kent Jones also intended to adapt Robinson's Jack into a screenplay after the strike ended.{{cite magazine|last=Horne|first=Philip|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/interviews/martin-scorsese-killers-flower-moon |title="We are the killers, and we have to understand that": Martin Scorsese on Killers of the Flower Moon|magazine=Sight and Sound|date=October 17, 2023|access-date=December 2, 2023}}

In August 2024, at a Q&A event, Scorsese mentioned he was considering developing a limited-run series as one of his next projects, and that he wanted to direct it straight through unlike the HBO shows Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl in which he only helmed the pilot episodes.{{cite video|author=Maslin, Janet|author-link=Janet Maslin|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=LkexkClDRBo&si=Z6rb1avQTF9JcxN2|title=Martin Scorsese Q&A Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger|publisher=Films In Review|date=August 3, 2024|access-date=January 23, 2025|via=YouTube}}{{cite web|last=Ruimy|first=Jordan|url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/8/3/martin-scorsese-doesnt-want-to-make-another-big-movie-with-lots-of-extras|title=Martin Scorsese Doesn't Want to Make Another "Big Movie" With Lots of Extras|website=World of Reel|date=August 3, 2024|access-date=January 23, 2025}}

In a November 2024 interview with Associated Press, Scorsese said that "a possibility" for his next film would one inspired by stories from his father and mother, and their upbringing. "Stories about immigrants which tied into my trip to Sicily," he added.

In February 2025, it was announced that Scorsese would direct and co-produce a crime drama film based on an untold true story, described as being in the same vein as The Departed and Goodfellas, which would star Dwayne Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt. Johnson and Blunt brought the story to Scorsese, which is set in 1960s and '70s Hawaii and follows an aspiring mob boss who fights rival crime factions for control of the underworld of the Hawaiian islands. Journalist and documentary filmmaker Nick Bilton was hired to write the screenplay.{{cite web|first1=Mike |last1=Fleming Jr. |first2=Justin |last2=Kroll |title=Town Says Aloha To A Hawaii-Set 'Goodfellas' Meets 'The Departed:' Scorsese, DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt Top Crime Drama Package |url=https://deadline.com/2025/02/scorsese-dicaprio-crime-movie-dwayne-johnson-emily-blunt-1236295098/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=February 20, 2025 |access-date=February 20, 2025}} The following month, Walt Disney Studios, under its 20th Century Studios division, acquired rights to the film.{{cite web|title=Disney Near Deal For Hawaii-Set Crime Pic With Scorsese, Dwayne Johnson, DiCaprio & Emily Blunt: The Dish|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Mike Jr|last=Fleming|date=27 March 2025|access-date=March 27, 2025|url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/disney-deal-hawaii-crime-martin-scorsese-dwayne-johnson-leonardo-dicaprio-emily-blunt-1236352329/}}

In the early 1990s, Scorsese was going to collaborate with Federico Fellini on a potential a documentary about film production. The project was set up at Universal, with Scorsese set to executive produce, however it was never made following Fellini's death in 1993. "He had a series of scripts on how a production is made," Scorsese recalled of their project in 2018. "One, you have the production itself. Then you have the actor, then you have the cinematographer. He was going to make a Fellini film on each one."{{cite news|last=Ugolini|first=Chiara|url=https://www.repubblica.it/dossier/spettacoli/festa-del-cinema-di-roma-2018/2018/10/22/news/martin_scorsese-209691491/|title=Martin Scorsese e i maestri del cinema italiano: "I loro film raccontano la vita vera"|newspaper=la Repubblica|date=October 22, 2018|access-date=September 11, 2023|language=Italian}}{{cite web|last=Sharf|first=Zach|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/martin-scorsese-federico-fellini-movie-never-happened-1202014474/|title=Martin Scorsese Reveals Details About His Federico Fellini Movie That Never Happened|website=IndieWire|date=October 23, 2018|access-date=September 11, 2023}}

In 1993, actress Margot Kidder was set to make her directorial debut with the film Cool Heaven for producer Michael Nolin, with Scorsese reportedly "godfathering" the project.{{cite magazine|last=Archerd|first=Army|url=https://variety.com/1993/voices/columns/latest-eszterhas-saga-plays-offscreen-1117862172/|title=Latest Eszterhas saga plays offscreen|magazine=Variety|date=April 23, 1993|access-date=January 26, 2025}}

In 1994, a remake of the 1946 film Bedlam was in development with Scorsese attached as a producer.{{cite magazine|last=Moerk|first=Christian|url=https://variety.com/1994/film/news/rko-plans-could-result-in-bedlam-118206/|title=RKO plans could result in 'Bedlam'|magazine=Variety|date=February 9, 1994|access-date=January 7, 2025}}

In 1995, it was reported that Scorsese would produce an American remake written and directed by Bo Goldman of Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries, with Gregory Peck starring.{{cite news|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1995/02/10/ford-to-star-in-sabrina-after-taking-year-off/|title=FORD TO STAR IN 'SABRINA' AFTER TAKING YEAR OFF|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|date=February 10, 1995|access-date=September 3, 2023}}

In January 1996, Scorsese and his ex-wife Barbara De Fina explored working on a biopic on Watergate scandal whistleblower Martha Mitchell, written by and starring Diane Ladd.{{Cite web |date=1996-01-25 |title=NIXON'S THE ONE AS SCORSESE WEIGHS MITCHELL FILM |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/01/25/nixons-the-one-as-scorsese-weighs-mitchell-film/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}}

In August 1996, a film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent was in development with Scorsese set as a producer.{{cite magazine|first=Tim|last=Gray|title=Confessions from the crypt|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/news/confessions-from-the-crypt-1117791430/|date=January 9, 2001|magazine=Variety|access-date=January 6, 2025}}

In 1997, it was indicated by the LA Times that Scorsese would executive produce the gothic horror film Mephisto's Bridge, set to be directed by Guillermo del Toro through Phoenix Pictures. The story reportedly follows "a gifted billboard designer, the girl he desires and his dark pact with a supernatural being."{{cite news|last=Holmes|first=Emory II|title='Working for Your Discomfort': Director's films showcase a taste for the macabre and disdain for conventions|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 28, 1997}}

Scorsese was going to produce a teaming of Leonardo DiCaprio and Shah Rukh Khan for a gangster film called Xtreme City, which was going to be directed by Paul Schrader. At the Berlin Film Festival in 2011, he and Schrader met with the two actors, though Khan was allegedly hesitant about starring in a Hollywood English-speaking film, so he declined.{{cite web|last=Satija|first=Garima|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/celebs/martin-scorsese-shah-rukh-khan-leonardo-dicaprio-xtreme-city-585069.html|title=Martin Scorsese Wanted To Cast Shah Rukh Khan & Leonardo DiCaprio In 'Xtreme City' But The Film Fell Apart|website=IndiaTimes|date=November 17, 2022|access-date=September 24, 2023}}

In 2012, Scorsese announced that he would produce Silver Ghost, a film that explored the origin of Rolls-Royce cars.{{Cite web |date=2012-05-15 |title=Martin Scorsese Driving Silver Ghost |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/martin-scorsese-driving-silver-ghost/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=Empire |language=en}}

In 2012, Scorsese was reported as being attached to 60 Seconds of Us, a film by Bahman Ghobadi set in New York.{{Cite web |last=Tsui |first=Clarence |date=2012-10-06 |title=Busan 2012: Martin Scorsese Reteams with Iranian Director Bahman Ghobadi |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/busan-2012-martin-scorsese-reteams-376875/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

{{Main|Joker (2019 film)}}

It was reported in the 2010s that Scorsese was to produce Joker with Leonardo DiCaprio playing the titular character. He later left the project to focus on The Irishman.{{cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=November 4, 2019 |title=Martin Scorsese Considered Making 'Joker' for Four Years but Couldn't Crack Comic Book Story |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/11/martin-scorsese-dropped-joker-after-four-years-1202187094/ |access-date=September 10, 2022 |website=IndieWire}}{{cite magazine |last=Aquilina |first=Tyler |date=November 4, 2019 |title=Martin Scorsese explains why he opted out of producing Joker, addresses Marvel comments |url=https://ew.com/movies/2019/11/04/martin-scorsese-explains-why-opted-out-producing-joker/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=September 10, 2022}}

In 2016, Scorsese was reported as attached to a biopic based on the life of classical pianist Byron Janis.{{Cite web |last=McNary |first=Dave |date=2016-01-08 |title=Martin Scorsese Developing Byron Janis Biopic at Paramount (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/martin-scorsese-producing-byron-janis-biopic-paramount-1201674748/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

Rodrigo Prieto, the cinematographer for Silence, intended for his directorial debut to be Bastard. The script was written by Bill Gullo and Scorsese was an executive producer. Filming was meant to start in the first quarter of 2018.{{Cite news |last=McNary |first=Dave |date=March 23, 2017 |title='Silence' Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto to Make Directorial Debut |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/silence-rodrigo-prieto-thriller-bastard-1202014556/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241129200709/https://variety.com/2017/film/news/silence-rodrigo-prieto-thriller-bastard-1202014556/ |archive-date=November 29, 2024}}

On November 21, 2019, it was announced that Ben Affleck would direct a film adaptation of Adam Hochschild's 1998 book King Leopold's Ghost, about the plundering and atrocities committed in the Congo Free State under King Leopold II of Belgium, with Farhad Safinia writing the screenplay. Scorsese and Emma Tillinger Koskoff were set to produce the film through Sikelia Productions alongside Affleck's Pearl Street Films and Harry Belafonte and Gina Belafonte.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/ben-affleck-direct-congo-plunder-tale-king-leopolds-ghost-belgian-king-leopold-ii-1202791265/|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|title=Ben Affleck To Direct 'King Leopold's Ghost', About Unlikely Trio Who Exposed Atrocities In Plunder Of Congo|date=November 21, 2019|access-date=December 8, 2023|website=Deadline Hollywood}}

In 2021, Scorsese was announced to produce Fascinating Rhythm, a musical drama inspired by the works of George Gershwin.{{Cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=2021-04-22 |title=Martin Scorsese, John Carney Team for George Gershwin-Inspired Musical Drama 'Fascinating Rhythm' |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/martin-scorsese-george-gershwin-movie-musical-fascinating-rhythm-1234957823/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

On April 19, 2023, it was announced that Scorsese would produce an adaptation of the Peter Cameron mystery novel What Happens At Night with Studiocanal, with Patrick Marber set to write the screenplay.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2023/04/martin-scorsese-patrick-marber-studiocanal-what-happens-night-movie-1235329383/|last1=Kroll|last2=Wiseman|first1=Justin|first2=Andreas|title=Martin Scorsese & Studiocanal To Produce Patrick Marber Movie Adaptation Of Mystery Novel 'What Happens At Night'|date=April 19, 2023|website=Deadline Hollywood}}

In January 2024, Scorsese was set to executive produce a film adaptation of Yōko Ogawa's novel The Memory Police.{{cite web|last=Kit|first=Borys|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/lily-gladstone-to-star-in-memory-police-movie-1235807134/|title=Lily Gladstone to Star in Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation of 'The Memory Police' for Director Reed Morano (Exclusive)|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=January 25, 2024|access-date=November 29, 2024}}

• Martin Scorsese filmography
• Goncharov - Internet meme about a fictional Scorsese film that originated on Tumblr in the early 2020s.

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Wilson |first=Michael |title=Scorsese On Scorsese |publisher=Cahiers du Cinéma |date=2011 |isbn=9782866427023}}

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{{Martin Scorsese}}

Scorsese, Martin

Category:Martin Scorsese