Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese Are Still Making the Frank Sinatra Biopic Fans Have Been Waiting For

Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are still chasing the Frank Sinatra movie. Yes, that one. And while it keeps dodging the runway lights, their next team-up is about to start rolling.

Sinatra: not dead, just complicated

DiCaprio - 51, and currently riding major awards buzz for playing a washed-up revolutionary in Paul Thomas Anderson's offbeat action thriller The One Battle After Another - hit the Santa Barbara Film Festival this week. When someone asked where the long-discussed Sinatra biopic stands, he let out a sigh and kept it simple:

"Still in the works, still in the works."

The project was announced a couple years ago, then promptly hit headwinds. Scorsese - the filmmaker behind Raging Bull and Killers of the Flower Moon - has long been interested in zeroing in on Sinatra's volatile marriage to Ava Gardner. At one point, Jennifer Lawrence was in the mix to play Gardner. The sticking point has been the Sinatra family; daughter Nancy and sister Tina have not exactly rolled out a red carpet. Scorsese has been candid about the bind he's in:

"Certain things are very difficult for a family, and I totally understand. But if they expect me to be doing it, they can't hold back certain things. The problem is that the man was so complex. Everybody is so complex - but Sinatra in particular."

Scorsese also once kicked around a structure that would jump across eras with different actors playing Sinatra at different ages. The elder version was even linked to Al Pacino way back in 2010 - a what-if that still lives rent-free in my head.

First up: What Happens at Night starts filming now

Before any blue eyes get cast, DiCaprio confirmed at the same Q&A that his next reunion with Scorsese, What Happens at Night, begins production at the end of this month in Prague.

• Cast and crew: DiCaprio stars alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Patricia Clarkson, and Mads Mikkelsen. Scorsese directs. The vibe leans closer to their Shutter Island lane - moody, chilly, and a little unnerving.
• Source material: An adaptation of Peter Cameron's 2020 novel.
• Story setup: DiCaprio and Lawrence play an unnamed couple traveling to a European city to adopt a baby. The journey itself goes sideways, leaving the already cancer-stricken woman dangerously weak, and landing them in the Borgarfjaroasysla Grand Imperial Hotel.
• The hotel guests: The couple drifts into encounters with a libertine businessman and a mysterious faith healer, among others, and start to realize how little they understand about themselves or the life they're stepping into.
• Release plan: Theatrical rollout is set for 2027.

So, the DiCaprio-Scorsese Sinatra saga survives another update, even if it keeps meeting resistance. In the meantime, What Happens at Night is locking in cast, cameras, and a date, which is more than most passion projects can say.