Director Martin Scorsese meets Pope Francis, announces religious film project

American filmmaker Martin Scorsese recently embarked on a tour of Italy following his appearance at the Cannes Film Festival.

During his visit, the director had a meeting with Pope Francis and announced his plans to create a film centered on Jesus, according to Variety.

Scorsese expressed his response to the Pope's call to artists by developing a screenplay and shared his intention to commence production, suggesting that this project could be his next cinematic endeavor.

Prior to attending a conference titled "The Global Aesthetics of the Catholic Imagination," organized by Jesuit publication La Civiltà Cattolica and Georgetown University, Scorsese and his wife, Helen Morris, had a brief private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

While Scorsese's manager, Rick Yorn, has yet to comment on the director's upcoming religious-themed project, the filmmaker's Italian tour encompasses various events. These include screenings of his films alongside works that have influenced his artistic journey, set to be presented at Rome's Casa del Cinema cinematheque.

Before embarking on the tour Martin Scorsese showcased his highly awaited film Killers of the Flower Moon at the Cannes Film Festival.

The movie, which depicts the Reign of Terror during the 1920s when several wealthy members of the Osage Nation were murdered, had been a passion project for Scorsese for many years before production began in 2021.