Martin Scorsese’s Next Mafia Epic Just Got a Major Boost

Well, Martin Scorsese isn’t exactly easing into retirement. The guy is 81, but he’s reportedly gearing up for not just one, but possibly two movies this year. One of those might even be a brand new mafia film. So, if you missed the wiseguys from ‘Goodfellas,’ there’s some potentially great news out there—assuming these internet rumors actually pan out.

First Up: The Thriller That’s Actually Happening

Let’s start with what Martin Scorsese is actually doing right now. He’s filming a thriller called ‘What Happens at Night.’ As you might expect, he’s brought along a cast you'd pretty much kill to hang out with: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Mads Mikkelsen, Patricia Clarkson, and Jared Harris. That’s a lot of Oscar nominees for one movie. The film is set for Apple Original Films, but—of course—no release date yet. That’s sort of par for the course these days.

The Mafia Movie Rumor Mill

Now for the fun part: the rumor that Scorsese might also be filming a mafia movie called ‘Midnight Vendetta’ later this year. This isn’t totally out of thin air—sites like USA Production, Production Weekly, and Production List have all posted casting info for the film. They all agree that this would shoot in New Orleans, and according to one of these listings, the filming could begin as soon as December.

There’s one odd thing: one site says filming kicks off December 2025, which is probably just a typo, but also wouldn’t surprise me considering how fast things can change on these projects.

What’s ‘Midnight Vendetta’ Supposed To Be About?

Here’s the basic story, according to Production List:

• It’s a historical crime drama centering on the arrival of the Sicilian mafia in New Orleans in the 1890s.
• The plot builds up to the assassination of Police Chief David Hennessy (a real event) and what followed—a notorious mass lynching.

In other words, it sounds like classic Scorsese territory: crime, power, and, yeah, a lot of moral ambiguity. Also, a part of mafia history we haven’t really seen on screen.

How Likely Is This To Actually Happen?

Here’s the catch: neither Scorsese nor any major production company has publicly confirmed a shooting schedule for ‘Midnight Vendetta.’ There’s no official word, so for now, this is living in the studio rumor zone. It’s entirely possible this ends up being vaporware, especially considering how many projects Scorsese always has cooking.

And if you’re hoping for a release date for either ‘What Happens at Night’ or ‘Midnight Vendetta’? Sorry, nothing yet. If anything changes, I’ll definitely be paying attention—Scorsese mafia movies don’t come around every year (unless you count Netflix releases like ‘The Irishman,’ but that’s another story).

For now, keep your fingers crossed, and maybe start thinking up your ‘leave the gun, take the cannoli’ jokes just in case.