Martin Scorsese Confirms His Next Film Will Be About Jesus

Critically acclaimed moviemaker Martin Scorsese recently completed a post-Cannes tour of Italy that included a visit and meeting with Pope Francis. During a Rome conference at the Vatican, Scorsese announced that his next film will focus on Jesus.

Scorsese explained, "I have responded to the Pope's appeal to artists in the only way I know how: by imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus. He added, "And I'm about to start making it," implying that this will be his next project. Prior to the conference, Scorsese and his wife met the Pope during a brief private meeting at the Vatican over the weekend. The conference itself was organized by Jesuit publication La Civiltà Cattolica and Georgetown University.

According to Antonio Spadaro, editor of the religious periodical, during his conversation with Scorsese, the director often alternated between references to his films and personal anecdotes, noting "how the Holy Father's appeal 'to let us see Jesus' moved him." In the past, he has often looked to the religion for cinematic references. Scorsese cited his admiration for Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew as well as discussed the meaning of his own controversial 1988 epic, The Last Temptation of Christ. Later today, Scorses is hosting the "Carat Bianca" event in Rome, where he is presenting a special selection he curated by pairing his own movies with classics that inspired him.

In other entertainment news, Netflix's The Witcher renewed for season five.