Martin Scorsese Completes Screenplay About Jesus: ‘Finding My Own Way’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Filmmaker Martin Scorsese has completed his screenplay for a film about Jesus, and the project will begin filming in 2024 with an 80-minute runtime—his shortest movie yet.
“I’m trying to find a new way to make it more accessible and take away the negative onus of what has been associated with organized religion,” Scorsese told the Los Angeles Times.
The screenplay is co-written with Ken Jones, who also wrote the 2016 Scorsese movie SILENCE, starring Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson. The upcoming project is based on Shūsaku Endō’s book “A Life of Jesus.” “I responded to the Pope’s appeal to artists the only way I know how: by imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus,” Scorsese revealed to La Civiltà Cattolica (The Catholic Civilization). “And I’m about to start making it.”
For Scorsese, the movie must be based on the teachings of Jesus and not religious doctrine. “Right now, ‘religion,’ you say that word, and everyone is up in arms because it’s failed in so many ways,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean necessarily that the initial impulse was wrong. Let’s get back. Let’s just think about it. You may reject it. But it might make a difference in how you live your life – even in rejecting it. Don’t dismiss it offhand. That’s all I’m talking about. And I’m saying that as a person who’s going to be 81 in a couple of days.”
“It’s finding my own way in a…if you want to say the term ‘religious’ sense, but I hate to use that language because it’s misinterpreted often. But there’s a basic fundamental beliefs that I have – or I’m trying to have – and I’m using these films to find it,” he explained.
Movieguide® previously reported on the questionable nature of Scorsese’s previous projects:
Given the topic, Movieguide® is especially cautious about Scorsese’s work.
He often incorporates heavy violence, sexual content, and drug use in his movies, which causes box office failure and repels families. While Christ Himself welcomes children, Scorcese does not. He would do well to find his inspiration in the Bible and stay away from human error.
Scorsese has worked on two Christian films in the past. The first, THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, is considered one of the most blasphemous movies ever made. It portrays Jesus as weak and unsure of whether he is the Son of God, as well as a man who lusts after women. THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST was released in 1988.
Nearly 30 years later, in 2016, Scorsese released another Christian film, SILENCE. This time, Scorsese redeemed himself with the faithful representation of the classic Christian novel of the same name.
We hope his upcoming project honors the Christian faith and upholds Biblical teachings.
