Martin Scorsese’s next project may still be under wraps, but one of his most anticipated films just took a major step forward. 20th Century Studios, now under Disney, has officially acquired the rights to Scorsese’s upcoming Hawaii-set crime epic, with Dwayne Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Emily Blunt set to star.
While production details remain scarce, the film is described as a sweeping crime saga set in the 1960s and 1970s, centered on an ambitious mob figure — played by Johnson — inspired by a real-life Hawaiian crime boss. The character is likened to Robert De Niro’s Jimmy the Gent from Goodfellas, but with a tropical twist. He rises through the criminal underworld of the islands, clashing with rival factions in a battle for control.
Scorsese has brought in Nick Bilton, a journalist and documentary filmmaker best known for his work with Vanity Fair, to write the screenplay. The script is reportedly still in progress, and with DiCaprio committed to filming Damien Chazelle’s next movie this summer and promoting Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another in the fall, it’s unclear when this Hawaii-based project will begin production.
That hasn’t stopped studios from vying for it. Netflix — which backed Scorsese’s The Irishman — was a serious contender, with Amazon, Apple, and Warner Bros. also in the mix. But Disney/20th Century came out on top, despite the film’s reported $200 million in above-the-line costs — which includes talent, director fees, and producers.
With multiple Scorsese projects still in development, including The Devil in the White City, Sinatra, and a potential adaptation of Marilynne Robinson’s novel Home, it remains to be seen which one will move forward first. But if the Hawaii crime saga does come together, it could be one of the director’s boldest and most unexpected turns yet — reuniting him with DiCaprio while bringing Johnson into new dramatic territory.
