“They were very sad”: Martin Scorsese Reveals Why Studio Was Upset With How Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon’s ‘The Departed’ Ended
Martin Scorsese is lauded as one of the most exceptional makers of the century. His outstanding, versatile filmmaking has left us with many unforgettable characters and stories. Scorsese’s films delve into dark and morally complex themes that are explored in various cinematic domains.
His ever-time classic thriller, The Departed, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, garnered critical acclaim for its brilliant storytelling and performance. Despite its success, Scorsese reveals that the studio was repeatedly upset with the film, which left everyone sad.
Martin Scorsese reveals Warner Bros. wanted The Departed trilogy.
Martin Scorsese has been recently vocal about the reservation of block-bluster franchises like MCU. In light of this, the director has encountered numerous struggles with the studios over some of his films, which have often made the director frustrated and even contemplated quitting the industry. Despite the difficulties, Scorsese’s artistic vision, enduring his love for cinema, has always prompted him to make original and quality films.
In one instance, he had with his finest classic, The Departed, Warner Bros. executives wanted him to extend the movie into a franchise. The studio’s request for one of the film’s stars, either Leonardo DiCaprio or Matt Damon, to “live to see another day”. While speaking to GQ magazine, the director revealed the profit-driven attitude of the studio towards his movie.
“What they wanted was a franchise. It wasn’t about a moral issue of a person living or dying.” It was about having a character that could survive in another film”.
The director recalled, that after the test screening, where everyone walked out ecstatic, the studio people approached him “and they were very sad because they didn’t want just that movie. They wanted the franchise”. He added they needed either DiCaprio’s or Damon’s character to survive the end of the film to increase the possibility of a franchise.
The studio’s request was primarily driven by commercial considerations rather than any moral or artistic integrity. Since they saw potential in the movie The Departed and wanted to follow a franchise model, disregarded the films ‘quality and instead merely focused on financial gain.
Scorsese in the interview voiced his concerns about a significant transformation in the industry. He pointed out that studios are now less willing to invest in films that focus on expressing “individual voices that express their personal feelings or their thoughts and ideas within big-budget productions“. Instead, studios left personal and artistic filmmaking to independent films teaming as “indies.”
Martin Scorsese’s crime drama The Departed sweeps Awards
The Departed, which is recognized as his finest work, showcases his mastery of creating tension and suspense with intricate narration and complex character development. The movie starring Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio is a gripping crime thriller set in the gritty underworld of Boston.
The movie received widespread critical acclaim and was a commercial success, grossing over $290 million worldwide. The movie has garnered several awards, including Best Picture, and Scorsese won his first Academy Award for Best Director.
The director’s forthcoming crime drama movie Killers of The Flower Moon, which is adapted from a nonfiction classic by Davis Grann and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone is based on a true story of a series of murders in Oklahoma’s Osage nation during the 1920s. The movie is set to hit theaters on coming 20th of October.
The Departed is available on Amazon Prime
Source: GQ magazine
