Not only has The Departed brought Martin Scorsese within spitting distance of an Oscar again (we’re rooting for ya, Marty!), it has also opened up a world of studios trying to get him to direct every project going.
The latest possibility being dangled under his nose is Warner Bros’ film of The Invention Of Hugo Cabret. Brian Selznick penned the kids’ fantasy, about a 12-year-old orphan (because every story needs one) who lives in the walls of a 1930 Paris train station and must unravel a mystery swirling around his dead dad and a robot. Unusually for a Hollywood book buy these days, the studio waited until it was actually on sale – and on the bestseller lists - before it snapped up the rights. With regular Scorsese producer Grant King and Aviator writer John Logan already attached, it’ll certainly be an attractive possibility.
Whether he’ll commit to it is another matter. Scorsese’s development plate is already piled high with a steaming batch of possible film food, with Jesuit missionary drama remake Silence, an adaptation of Eric Jager’s book Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal And Trial By Combat In Medieval France that’s bubbling away under Scorsese’s development deal at Paramount, and not forgetting the possible Departed sequel/ prequel that scriptwriter William Monaghan has dreamed up.
