Martin Scorsese eyes Andrew Garfield and Miles Teller for new Jesus Christ film

Martin Scorsese is reportedly eyeing Andrew Garfield and Miles Teller to star in his new film about Jesus Christ.

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According to Variety, the director is looking to bypass the studio system and independently finance the film, titled A Life Of Jesus. He took the same approach with his 2016 drama Silence, in which Garfield also starred.

The report adds that Garfield is being eyed for the titular role or to play one of the disciples, while Teller has also been linked to the project. It’s not yet clear, however, whether the actors will play separate roles or if they’re both being considered for the leading part.

The upcoming film will not be based on the Bible but A Life of Jesus – a 1973 fictional retelling of Jesus’s life by Shūsaku Endō.

Further details about the project are currently under wraps, but Scorsese recently told America Magazine that it will not be a “usual, straight narrative” that recounts the life and times of Jesus.

In a more recent update at the Berlin Film Festival, the director admitted that he still isn’t sure how he’s going to tackle the film.

“I’m contemplating it right now,” he said. “What kind of film I’m not quite sure, but I want to make something unique and different that could be thought-provoking and I hope also entertaining. I’m not quite sure yet how to go about it.

“Maybe I’ll get some sleep and then wake up and I’ll have this fresh idea of how to do it,” the director added.

“The possibilities of making a film, the concept of Jesus, the idea of Jesus really stems from my background growing up in the Lower East Side, my interest in Catholicism, in the priesthood, which really led I think, ultimately to the film Silence.”

Elsewhere, Scorsese is also set to direct a Frank Sinatra biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Jennifer Lawrence is reportedly being considered for the role of Sinatra’s second wife, the actress Ava Gardner.