Martin Scorsese Directing Family-Approved Frank Sinatra Biopic

May 14, 2009
by Alex Billington

After years of negotiations with Frank Sinatra Enterprises, Universal will finally be moving forward on the biopic Sinatra. The screenplay was written by Field of Dreams screenwriter Phil Alden Robinson, and as announced today, the prolific Martin Scorsese will direct. The film is already being compared to Todd Haynes' 2007 Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There, at least in style and structure. "It'll be almost like a collage," producer Cathy Schulman said. "In the way one of his records captures different rhythms and moods, this will have collective scenes and moments that form the overall story as opposed to a conventional timeline."

"The obstacles were ones of comfort and trust," Schulman said. "Everybody that was in control of the rights had to unanimously agree to do this. And having Marty at the head of this was the thing that ultimately cracked the code, so to speak." Anyone who may be worried that either Robinson or Scorsese aren't the best guys to bring Sinatra's life to the big screen, shouldn't be so worried. Robison has amassed some 30,000 pages of research and been working tirelessly to fit all of that into a script, opting to go with more unconventional storytelling rather than a linear storyline. As for Marty Scorsese, well, need I say more?

Born in New Jersey in 1915, Frank Sinatra led quite an exciting artistic and social life. Raised during the Depression, he built a singing career that weathered many changes in popular culture, all the while racking up 31 gold records and countless other honors. He also had a successful career as an actor, proving naysayers wrong by earning an Oscar for 1953's From Here to Eternity. Sinatra also suffered from depression, was alleged to have connections to organized crime and was married four times. No word on who will be playing Ol' Blue Eyes on the big screen, but we'll let you know once Marty chooses someone.

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