Martin Scorsese Plots Frank Sinatra Biopic With Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence in Talks to Star

Martin Scorsese, the Oscar-winning legend behind The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon, is again proving that age is just a number. At 81, the filmmaker is moving full steam ahead with a Frank Sinatra biopic, lining up none other than Leonardo DiCaprio to play the iconic crooner, and Jennifer Lawrence to portray actress Ava Gardner.

According to sources close to the project, Scorsese plans to film the Sinatra movie after completing his upcoming religious drama Life of Jesus. That film will be independently financed and based on the 1973 novel by Shūsaku Endō, the same author who inspired Scorsese’s 2016 film Silence. But the Sinatra project has Hollywood buzzing, and for good reason.

A Dream Cast for a Legendary Story

Leonardo DiCaprio and Scorsese are one of the most celebrated actor-director pairings in modern film, having worked together on The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Adding Jennifer Lawrence — an Oscar winner in her own right — to the mix elevates this biopic into instant prestige territory.

Jennifer Lawrence is reportedly set to play Ava Gardner, Sinatra’s second wife and a key figure in the singer’s tumultuous personal life. Their affair famously ended Sinatra’s first marriage to Nancy Barbato, the mother of Tina Sinatra, who now controls the Sinatra estate. Tina’s approval is still a major hurdle, as she hasn’t yet granted permission for the film to move forward.

Studios and Streamers in Bidding War for Scorsese’s Sinatra Film

Despite the estate-related challenges, interest in the Sinatra biopic is sky-high. Industry insiders say Sony Pictures is currently the frontrunner to land the film, although Apple, which backed Martin Scorsese’s $215 million Killers of the Flower Moon, is also vying to stay in business with the director.

With DiCaprio and Lawrence at the center, the film has the potential to be a major box office and awards season player — especially under Scorsese’s meticulous direction. It’s no surprise that studios are circling what could be one of the most high-profile biopics of the decade.

 

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Hollywood’s Ageless Auteurs Still Going Strong

Martin Scorsese isn’t the only legendary filmmaker refusing to slow down. Fellow auteurs like Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Clint Eastwood are continuing to make bold, original films well into their 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Steven Spielberg is developing a UFO movie, Clint Eastwood has just wrapped Juror No. 2 at age 93, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is headed to Cannes.

Their longevity is redefining the expectations of ageing in Hollywood, and Scorsese’s Sinatra film may be his most audacious move yet.

A Martin Scorsese-directed Frank Sinatra biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence is in the works — if the estate gives the green light, this could be Hollywood’s most talked-about movie of the decade.