After years of delays and false starts, Universal Pictures has just announced they’re preparing a biopic on one of the most charismatic figures to touch Hollywood in the last fifty years, Frank Sinatra. And Martin Scorsese is on board to direct.
Universal execs, Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman worked for over two years to secure the rights to Frank’s life and music, and Warner’s [Frank's label,] have finally agreed. No actor has been named for the role but Leonardo di Caprio is thought to be Marty’s first pick, while the studio wants Johnny Depp.
Regardless of the star, the film’s pedigree is already superb – Scorsese. 67, will direct and produce, and the screenplay will be penned by Phil Alden Robinson, who wrote the 1989 Kevin Costner classic, ‘Field of Dreams.’
According to Ms. Shulman, the movie will be an ‘unconventional biopic’ that will explore every shade of Sinatra’s iconic and colorful life. Born in New Jersey in 1915, his countless love affairs and alleged Mafia ties made Frank an absolute gift for the Hollywood gossips. But the scale of his talent overcame their attentions, and both his peers and the world were soon enthralled by his style, “My father had great admiration for the people he worked with, and they had great admiration for him,” Frank’s daughter, Tina, told Variety. “It’s pleasing that this paradigm is continued with Marty at the helm of the film.”
Since his death in April 1998, plans for the movie have been constantly stalled by the complex task of trying to license Frank’s work. “Everyone knows that Marty is a final-cut director.” Ms. Shulman told the reporters. “So there had to be a lot of trust he would tell the story in a way that didn’t destroy Sinatra’s memory.”
The trust is well placed; With an Oscar, three BAFTA’s and two highly-prestigious ‘Golden Bears,’ they couldn’t have picked a more worthy guy.
No date for filming is available yet, but when they post one you’ll find it here.
NYC Sunset photo by FergusonPhoto
