Paramount Confirms That Martin Scorsese Will Direct A Leonard Bernstein Biopic

At the age of 72, and with an impressive slew of awards on his shelf, legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese shows no sign of slowing down, as he renews his development deal with Paramount, and confirms a number of upcoming projects. Those projects continue to reflect his personal interests, including his love of music – which will be the foundation of his now announced Leonard Bernstein biopic.

Leonard Bernstein was a Harvard graduate who became a world-famous composer, conductor, author, and long-time music director of the New York Philharmonic, whose works included On The Town, West Side Story, and the score to On The Waterfront – as well as a series of Young People’s Concerts broadcast on CBS in the 1950s.

During the course of his career, he garnered a multitude of accolades, and saw his compositions become instantly recognizable across the globe. The biopic being developed by Martin Scorsese has long been rumoured, but is only now confirmed, as part of the director’s extended deal with the studio that has been behind a number of his most recent releases. The film is set to be written by Josh Singer, whose most recent project is the critically acclaimed current release, Spotlight.

In announcing the deal, which will see the creative partnership between studio and filmmaker continue through to 2019, Paramount CEO Brad Grey emphasized the importance of Scorsese to the output of the company.

“Marty is one of our industry’s most prolific and celebrated filmmakers, and he is also an integral part of the Paramount family. We are looking forward to many more years and many more great films at Paramount Pictures.”

The continued commitment of the studio to Martin Scorsese comes as no surprise, as a filmmaker of his stature not only guarantees box office returns, but is also a draw for big-name performers, ready to jump at the chance to work with the him. The question now becomes, which actor will be cast as the iconic Leonard Bernstein? Perhaps we’ll be looking at a multi-generational depiction – akin to Bill Pohlad’s Love And Mercy – starring both DiCaprio and De Niro? With the Paramount development machine now cranking into action, we may well hear the answer soon.