Martin Scorsese's unrealized projects

The following is a list of unproduced Martin Scorsese projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director Martin Scorsese has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these productions fell in development hell or were cancelled.

Untitled Jesus in New York film
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.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem
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.

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. 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."

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
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.

Serpico
Scorsese almost directed Al Pacino in 1973's Serpico.

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. 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."

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.

Notes from Underground
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.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
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. The adaptation never materialized.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
https://www.joblo.com/wtf-happened-to-fear-and-loathing-in-las-vegas/

Haunted Summer
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.

Night Life
In 1978, Scorsese began working on a new script with Jay Cocks titled Night Life, which dealt with "a fraternal rivalry".

In Dreams Begin Responsibilities
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.

Untitled Doors biopic
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.

Scarface
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.

Little Shop of Horrors
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. With Scorsese at the helm and Spielberg as an executive producer, plans for this version ultimately fell through when a lawsuit was filed by the original film's screenwriter and actor, Charles B. Griffith.

Beverly Hills Cop
Scorsese admitted he turned down the offer to direct Beverly Hills Cop.

Witness
Scorsese also turned down the offer to direct Witness.

Gershwin
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.

The Bad and the Beautiful remake
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.

Night and the City remake
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.

LaBrava
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.

Untitled Amedeo Modigliani biopic
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." Pacino and Scorsese shopped the project around studios, but faced constant rejection.

The Sicilian
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.

Dick Tracy
Scorsese was approached to direct Dick Tracy before Warren Beatty wound up directing the film.

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. Scorsese developed it with screenwriter Steven Zaillian, but felt that Spielberg would be better to tell the story, as he was Jewish. 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.

Robbie Robertson and Friends documentary
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."

Theodora
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."

Dirty Boulevard
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.

Dino
In 1992, Scorsese acquired the film adaptation rights to Nick Tosches's biography about Dean Martin titled Dino. Scorsese had Tom Hanks in mind to portray Martin. The screenplay was written by Nicholas Pileggi. In 2004, Scorsese confirmed that he gave up on the project.

High and Low remake
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. Later, in 2008, it was reported that Mike Nichols was to direct Mamet's script, with Scorsese serving as executive producer.

Ocean of Storms
In September 1993, it was reported that Scorsese had committed to directing star/producer Warren Beatty's long-in-development 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.

Clockers
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.

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.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
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. A version was later produced in 2006, directed by Tom Tykwer.

Gucci: A House Divided
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.

Untitled Alexander the Great biopic
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, though this version never came to fruition either. Ultimately, Oliver Stone's Alexander, starring Colin Farrell, was released in 2004.

Winter's Tale
In 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."

St. Agnes' Stand
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.

Hyperion
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.

The Darling
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.

Sinatra
Throughout the 2000s Scorsese developed a biopic of Frank Sinatra, originally to star John Travolta and later to star Leonardo DiCaprio. The project fell apart when an agreement could not be reached with the Sinatra estate. Phil Alden Robinson was set to write the script, though Billy Ray was later attached. In 2024, Variety reported that Scorsese was planning to shoot the feature back-to-back with A Life of Jesus. DiCaprio was still attached to star, with Jennifer Lawrence set to portray Ava Gardner. However, soon after the announcement, Nancy Sinatra tweeted disapproval over the casting of both leads.

Taxi Driver sequel
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. 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.

Frankie Machine
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. 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).

The Last Duel
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.

Roosevelt
Around 2007, 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. 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.

The Long Play
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. 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.

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. Wahlberg later cited Scorsese's own Raging Bull as an influence for The Fighter, which would be directed by David O. Russell.

Marley documentary
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/feb/13/popandrock.bobmarley

Untitled John Martorano biopic
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.

Tokyo Underworld TV series
According to Paul Schrader, around 2009, he and Scorsese developed a crime series at HBO called Tokyo Underworld, set in post-war Tokyo.

Furious Love
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.

The Gambler
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. Scorsese and DiCaprio both left the project the following year, though Monahan's draft remained in the finished product.

The Snowman
In November 2011, Scorsese was set to direct The Snowman, with a script by Matthew Michael Carnahan. He later dropped out of the project.

Untitled Bill Clinton documentary
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.

Gangs of New York TV series
In 2013, a potential TV series based on Scorsese's film Gangs of New York was reported to be in the works from Mirimax 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. 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.

Blood Meridian
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.

Ashecliffe TV pilot
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.

Untitled Ramones biopic
On August 28, 2014, Scorsese announced he'd direct a biopic about the punk rock band the Ramones.

Cortes TV series
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.

Untitled Mike Tyson biopic
On March 13, 2015, Jamie Foxx announced that Scorsese would direct him in a Mike Tyson biopic, with a script by Terence Winter. Scorsese's version was still being worked on as of 2017, but was later redeveloped into a miniseries for Antoine Fuqua to direct.

Untitled Macbeth documentary
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. 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.

The Devil in the White City
In August 2015, Scorsese signed on to direct an adaptation of The Devil in the White City, with Billy Ray to write the script and Leonardo DiCaprio set to star as H. H. Holmes. 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.

The General
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.

Hustlers
In early 2017, Lorene Scafaria's screenplay for Hustlers and a sizzle reel were sent to Scorsese and Adam McKay with interest of directing. Both passed and Scarfaria eventually directed the film herself.

Maestro
Scorsese was the initial director of the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, which was set up at Paramount Pictures. 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.

The Caesars TV series
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.

The Apostles and Apocrypha TV miniseries
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.

Untitled Grateful Dead biopic
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.

The Wager
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. 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.

Home
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.

Jack
In October 2023, Scorsese reported that he, Todd Field and Kent Jones also intended to adapt Robinson's Jack into a screenplay after the strike ended.

Untitled Federico Fellini documentary
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."

Wild Strawberries remake
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.

Untitled Martha Mitchell biopic
In 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.

Xtreme City
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.

Silver Ghost
In 2012, Scorsese announced that he would produce Silver Ghost, a film that explored the origin of Rolls-Royce cars.

60 Seconds of Us
In 2012, Scorsese was reported as being attached to 60 Seconds of Us, a film by Bahman Ghobadi set in New York.

Joker
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.

Untitled Byron Janis biopic
In 2016, Scorsese was reported as attached to a biopic based on the life of classical pianist Byron Janis.

King Leopold's Ghost
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.

Fascinating Rhythm
In 2021, Scorsese was announced to produce Fascinating Rhythm, a musical drama inspired by the works of George Gershwin.

Die, My Love
In 2022, Scorsese was announced to produce Die, My Love, a film directed by Lynne Ramsay and starring Jennifer Lawrence.

What Happens at Night
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.