Martin Scorsese directed Departed in 2006 – Among Enemies. The film studio had other plans for the gangster film, but the director let the two main characters die – and thus the franchise.
The American director, screenwriter, and film producer Martin Scorsese is known for his films Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, Casino, and Gangs of New York. However, he won his first Oscar only in 2007 for the film Departed – Among Enemies.
The thriller remake Departed – Among Enemies contains one of the most unforgettable scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio. You can find out more from our colleagues at Moviepilot.
In an interview published on September 25, 2023 in the online magazine GQ, director Martin Scorsese talks about the reactions to his gangster film. These were positive during the test screening, the audience and the filmmakers were enthusiastic. Only the film studio Warner Bros. reacted differently.
“They wanted the franchise”
This was the reaction of the film studio: In the interview, Martin Scorsese recounts that he decided to shoot Departed – Among Enemies in 2006. The studio Warner Bros. asked him if the two main characters, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, could survive.
The studio, according to GQ, was concerned about having characters for future films. However, they both die.
What they wanted was a franchise. It wasn’t a moral question of whether a person lives or dies. And then the studio people [from the test screening] left, and they were very sad because they simply didn’t want this film. They wanted the franchise.
Martin Scorsese via GQ
In 2004, the director collaborated with Warner Bros. on the film The Aviator. However, the studio, according to GQ, halted payments for the film and Scorsese eventually completed the work himself, spending $500,000 out of his own pocket (via GQ).
After that, Martin Scorsese said to himself: “I will no longer make films,” but in 2006 he took on Departed – Among Enemies.
The gangster film earned Scorsese his first Oscar. He enjoyed being nominated, even though he had gone empty-handed until then. He always told himself: “Just be quiet and make the films. You can’t make a film for an award.”
In the interview, the director states that film studios are no longer interested in supporting individual voices in the industry.
According to GQ, Scorsese sees the problem in the fact that a large part of today’s cinema programming is dominated by franchises and comic entertainment. He says: “There will be generations that will believe that films are only that.”
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