Summary

Martin Scorsese plans to make a film about the life of Jesus Christ, focusing on his teachings and presenting him as a compassionate figure. The script for the film, co-written by Scorsese and Kent Jones, is based on the book A Life of Jesus by Shusaku Endo. Scorsese’s religious upbringing and previous work exploring religious ideas make him a fitting choice to adapt Endo’s nuanced depiction of Jesus.

Killers of the Flower Moon is preparing for almost guaranteed Oscar glory, but director Martin Scorsese is already hard at work developing his next film. Even at 80, one of the greatest directors of all time shows no signs of slowing down, as he announced that he plans to make a film about the life of Jesus Christ, planning to begin production later in the year.

The script, co-written by Scorsese and film critic Kent Jones, is said to be based on A Life of Jesus, a book written by Japanese author Shusaku Endo (who also wrote the book that Scorsese adapted into Silence). Scorsese has stated that he plans to focus his story on the present day and focus on the core tenets of Jesus’ teachings, but little else is known about the project. As we speculate how this film will manifest, we’re looking at the content within Endo’s novel and what angle Scorsese could take in adapting it.

Exploring Shusaku Endo’s Novel A Life of Jesus

Before examining the book itself, we must consider author Shusaku Endo’s background. Born in 1923, Endo was born in Tokyo and was baptized as a Catholic at an early age. This greatly influenced his worldview, as Christianity is a minority religion in Japan. Most of his career’s writings were born from his experiences and desire to make Christianity accessible to a country not usually receptive to it (as explored in his most famous novel, which Scorsese later adapted as Silence).

A Life of Jesus is almost entirely what the title promises, exploring the entire life of Jesus Christ, from his early work as a young carpenter to his eventual crucifixion. Endo’s goal in writing the book was to present the story most central to Christianity as a belief system through means that could be accessible to Japanese readers. Specifically, since Japanese culture typically associates more with maternal instinct, Endo presented Jesus as an explicitly compassionate figure, loving humanity to the point of being willing to suffer for them.

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A couple of other factors distinguish Endo’s story from the version presented in the Bible. While fundamental Christianity sees Jesus as mythic and otherworldly, Endo paints him as a recognizably human young man dealing with his own conflicting beliefs and temptations. A large part of the novel’s conflict comes directly from his disciples, as many see him as a potential leader for the rebellion against the Romans.

However, Jesus refuses to fulfill this role, and Endo depicts this as the moment that led many of his disciples to turn on him. This also allows Endo to paint Judas in a more sympathetic light than most retellings and movies about Jesus, as he’s presented as the only follower to truly understand Jesus’ reluctance to become a martyr. As a result, his ultimate decision to betray his leader comes from a place of pragmatism, realizing that all of his disciples will eventually turn on him.

How Can Scorsese Tell This Story?

Martin Scorsese was also raised Catholic and initially intended to study as a priest before going into filmmaking. His religious upbringing regularly manifests throughout his filmography, seen in subtle ways in Mean Streets and one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s best movies, The Departed, both of which focus on protagonists living in sin and tormented by Catholic guilt. And most of his famous crime films are distinguished by a clash between the sacred and the profane.

But Scorsese has also tackled religious ideas more explicitly, most recently with Silence, which explored the nature of belief in a world full of suffering. That film also illustrated a mentality shared with Shusaku Endo, that belief is much more complex than simply following scripture of dogma. But Scorsese’s defining religious work is almost certainly The Last Temptation of Christ, which also told the life story of Jesus, played by Willem Dafoe, one of the best actors to play Jesus Christ, and painted him as a more human figure than was taught in church. It’s unsurprising that to more religiously inclined viewers, it remains one of the most hotly contested films ever made.

Regarding A Life of Jesus, it’s easy to see what drew Scorsese to this story, as his films disregard moral absolutes, even within a figure as seemingly holy and infallible as Jesus Christ. As was shown in The Last Temptation of Christ, Scorsese has always been fascinated by the conflicting emotions within Jesus, as he struggles to grasp the meaning of his inevitable fate and feels uncomfortable becoming a martyr to his disciples. This approach to moral ambiguity would also perfectly suit Endo’s more humane, nuanced depiction of Judas.

However, the most intriguing thing about the entire project is Scorsese’s intentions to set the story in the modern day. Additionally, he stated that he wishes to use the film to remove the negative stigma associated with religious belief and focus on the principles of Jesus’ teachings rather than subscribing to the tenets of modern Christianity. There are several different ways the story of Jesus Christ could manifest in modern times, but it’s clear that Scorsese’s aim is the same as Endo’s – to de-emphasize doctrine and return to the spiritual.

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A Match Made (Literally) in Heaven

While the final form Scorsese’s film will take remains to be seen, as he claims the movie won’t be a “straight narrative,” in investigating the book he’s basing it on, it’s already clear why he was so drawn to one of the most iconic stories of all time. Throughout his career, he’s always been drawn to the concept of “flawed saints,” and as seen in Shusaku Endo’s novel, it’s clear that he shared this same interest. Regardless of how the final film turns out, it’s certain that A Life of Jesus is the kind of story that Scorsese will surely make another classic out of in a career full of them. Martin Scorsese’s latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, based on the Osage Nation murders, is available to stream on Apple TV+.

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