Legendary Filmmaker Known for Epics Could Be Scaling Way Back for New Jesus Movie
Martin Scorsese, the legendary filmmaker and visionary behind some of the most highly touted movies ever, has revealed that his newest movie based on the life of Jesus Christ could be going in a radically different direction than what most fans would expect from him.
The main reason for that?
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Scorsese revealed that the screenplay was complete and that filming should begin shortly.
But the most interesting nuggets came from the Times itself, which claimed that the new piece was going to “be set mostly in the present day, though Scorsese doesn’t want to be locked into a certain period, because he wants the film to feel timeless. He envisions the movie to run around 80 minutes, focusing on Jesus’ core teachings in a way that explores the principles but doesn’t proselytize.”
First, the “present day” setting is a curious one, given Jesus walked long, long, long before anything resembling modernity.
It’s certainly an odd decision and one that may immediately disqualify it from being a true movie about Jesus Christ.
But assuming (and it’s a fairly big assumption) Scorsese is able to tastefully re-tell the story of Jesus within modern trappings — while avoiding the pitfalls of modern trappings — the biggest talking point to emerge from this Times interview is the proposed runtime of this as-of-yet-unnamed movie.
Eighty minutes is a positively brisk and speedy runtime for a children’s movie (“Toy Story 2” clocks in at 92 minutes, “Air Bud” clocks in at 98), let alone a Scorsese epic.
For Scorsese, a man known for his lengthy films, 80 minutes seems like an impossibility.
Just look at the run times for some of his more recent blockbuster hits:
- 2023’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”: Three hours and 26 minutes
- 2019’s “The Irishman”: Three hours and 29 minutes
- 2012’s “The Wolf of Wall Street“: Three hours
- 2010’s “Shutter Island”: Two hours and 18 minutes
- 2006’s “The Departed”: Two hours and 31 minutes
All those highly varied epic blockbusters easily surpassed two hours, if not three, and showcase some of Scorsese’s most popular works — in spite of their arduous run times.
As to why Scorsese would be attempting to address the epic tale of Jesus Christ in as little time as possible, the famed director/producer seemed to address that in the LA Times interview.
“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 outlet.
“Right now, ‘religion,’ you say that word and everyone is up in arms because it’s failed in so many ways,” Scorsese told the Times. “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.
“You know what I’m saying?”
Of note, this is hardly Scorsese’s first attempt at chronicling the life of Jesus.
The deeply divisive and polarizing “The Last Temptation of Christ” — a 1988 offering from Scorsese that runs two hours and 44 minutes — became a touchy subject after swathes of Christian moviegoers decried scenes where Jesus appeared to have or give into lustful thoughts.
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