Martin Scorsese is among Hollywood’s A-lister directors, he is one of the finest and most successful directors of all time. He made his theatrical debut with the 1967 movie, Who’s That Knocking at My Door. In 1973, he received wide recognition for directing Mean Streets which established him as a complete director.

Martin Scorsese
Scorsese has many successful movies to his resume, that includes, The Age of Innocence, Hugo, Casino, and Cape Fear. However, he is primarily known for movies like Goodfellas, The Departed, Gangs of New York, Shutter Island, and his most notable works,  Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Scorsese has collaborated with several iconic Hollywood actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and now retired Daniel Day-Lewis.

Scorsese’s works are remarkable, almost every movie is an instant hit and critically acclaimed. So, production companies are always wanted to tie up with the director.

A Production Company Sued Martin Scorsese for $1.5 Million

Martin Scorsese, American director
In 2012, a production company sued Martin Scorsese for allegedly directing The Wolf of Wall Street ahead of Silence. The company said that Scorsese made an agreement with them to direct their film Silence, however, he prioritized another project delaying their movie.

The production company Cecchi Gori Pictures stated that the director agreed to direct their film back in 1990. The movie, Silence was an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling book of the same name which was written by Japanese author Shusaku Endo in 1966. Later, Jay Cocks and Scorsese wrote the screenplay.

Set in the 1600s, the movie follows two Christian missionaries on a quest to Japan to find their mentor who was preaching Christian ideals to the natives. All the missionaries were tortured and the story depicts their soul-crushing plight.

The production company claimed that Scorsese violated their agreement by postponing the movie. According to them, the company and the director had agreed to direct the film right after finishing The Departed and Shutter Island. But following the completion of the projects he went on to direct The Wolf of Wall Street. Afterward, Cecchi Gori was prompted to file the lawsuit. According to reports, Scorsese owed the company $1.5 million in unpaid delay fees for delaying Silence and directing several other films prior to that.

Further, a report by The Hollywood Reporter states that in addition to $1.5 million, Scorsese owed up to 20% of his post-production earnings from the films he chose to direct prior to Silence. The studio waited for the director but got upset after giving more importance to The Wolf of Wall Street over Silence.

Martin Scorsese Denied All the Claims the Company Made

Martin Scorsese
Following the lawsuit, the director denied all the claims. A representative of Scorsese told the press that the allegations were “shocking” and “absurd.”
“The claims asserted are completely contradicted by, inconsistent with, and contrary to the express terms of an agreement entered into by the parties last year,” the representative statement read.
Later, in 2014, Scorsese and Cecchi Gori reached a settlement. “The matter has been settled in its entirety,” a 1-page order from LA Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis read. According to the claim the company had invested more than $750,000 in Silence and the producers wanted fees in millions in addition to  20% of Scorsese and his Sikelia Productions. However, the details of settlement are still in the dark, so, it is hard to say if Scorsese met those original demands.

Responding to the lawsuit, Scorsese said the meritless action of the suit includes “all the earmarks of a media stunt.”

Later, Scorsese directed the movie which hit the theatre in 2016. The movie stars Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, and Adam Driver in the leading role. It was again one of Scorsese’s acclaimed movies which received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography but the box office collection of the movie was not up to the mark as the producers hoped.

Source: Showbiz CheatSheet.