Hollywood loves a good "what if." For years, the internet has been buzzing about a potential reunion between Andrew Garfield and Martin Scorsese. People want it. They want that Silence magic back. But lately, things have gotten a bit messy with rumors about a new "Life of Jesus" movie and whether Andrew is actually involved or just the victim of a very persistent internet fan-casting campaign.
Honestly, the relationship between these two is deeper than your average actor-director pairing. It's not just about a paycheck. When they made Silence in 2016, Andrew didn't just show up and say lines. He basically disappeared into a Jesuit lifestyle for a year. That kind of intensity creates a bond that most directors don't have with their stars, unless your name is Leo or Bobby De Niro.
Why the Andrew Garfield and Martin Scorsese Connection is Different
Most actors talk about "preparing" for a role by hitting the gym or reading a book. Garfield went somewhere else entirely. To play Father Rodrigues, he spent a full year under the guidance of Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest in New York. We're talking about the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. It wasn't a stunt.
He lost 40 pounds. He went on a silent retreat in Wales where he didn't speak for a week.
When you hear Andrew talk about Scorsese, he doesn't call him "Marty" in a way that feels like name-dropping. He talks about him like a mentor who pushed him to his absolute limit. Scorsese is famous for wanting his actors to be "unknown" to themselves—to be spontaneous and daring. In Silence, Garfield was exactly that. He was raw, emaciated, and questioning everything.
The movie was a passion project Scorsese had been trying to make for almost 30 years. It wasn't a box office smash—it actually struggled to make back its $50 million budget—but it's widely considered one of Scorsese’s late-career masterpieces. It’s the kind of film that sticks to your ribs.
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The "Life of Jesus" Confusion
Fast forward to now. Scorsese is 83 and showing zero signs of slowing down. He’s been talking about a new project based on Shūsaku Endō’s A Life of Jesus. Since Endō also wrote the novel Silence, everyone naturally assumed Garfield would be the lead.
But here’s the reality check: Andrew recently told GQ that the rumors of him playing Jesus are just that—rumors.
"You can't just keep waiting for Scorsese to call," he said.
He’s being realistic. Scorsese makes a movie every three or four years, and usually, Leonardo DiCaprio is already in the passenger seat. While reports in late 2024 and 2025 suggested Scorsese was "eyeing" Andrew for the Jesus film, the project has hit some speed bumps. Filming was supposed to happen in Israel, Italy, and Egypt, but geopolitical conflicts and scheduling have pushed things back.
What we actually know about the new project:
- It's based on the book by Shūsaku Endō.
- It's expected to be short—around 80 minutes.
- The screenplay is finished (co-written with Kent Jones).
- Scorsese wants it to feel "timeless" and mostly set in the present day.
Is Andrew out? Not necessarily. But he’s not sitting by the phone. He’s busy with his own career, recently starring in We Live in Time and looking for roles that "stir his soul" rather than just filling a slot.
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The Ghost of Spider-Man and the "Numbing of Culture"
To understand why Andrew Garfield and Martin Scorsese work so well together, you have to look at where Andrew was before Silence. He had just come off the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. He’s been pretty vocal about how "heartbreaking" that experience was. He felt like the stories were being flattened to please shareholders and sell Happy Meals.
Working with Scorsese was the antidote to that.
In the Marvel world, everything is pre-planned and safe. With Scorsese, it’s about the "beautiful agony of creating." Andrew has described filming Silence as a "long meditative prayer." It’s the opposite of a blockbuster. It’s slow, difficult, and deeply personal.
What’s Next for the Duo?
If you're waiting for a release date for a new Garfield-Scorsese collab in 2026, you might be waiting a while. Scorsese has a few plates spinning. There’s the Frank Sinatra biopic (with DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence), though that’s reportedly stalled due to estate issues. Then there’s the Jesus movie.
There's also news that Silence is getting a second life on streaming platforms like Paramount+ this year. It's being framed as a spiritual alternative for fans of Shōgun, and honestly, it fits. If you haven't seen it, it's the best way to understand the frequency these two men operate on.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Cinephiles
If you want to track this partnership or just appreciate the work they've done, here's what you should actually do:
- Watch "Silence" on Paramount+: It’s recently moved to the streamer and looks incredible in 4K. It’s the definitive proof of their chemistry.
- Read "A Life of Jesus" by Shūsaku Endō: If you want to know what Scorsese is thinking about for his next film, this is the source material. It's a short, accessible read.
- Check out Father James Martin’s work: He was the bridge between Andrew and the character. His book The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything gives a lot of context to the "year of prayer" Andrew went through.
- Ignore the "Confirmed" Headlines: Until you see a trade report from Variety or The Hollywood Reporter with a production start date, assume the Jesus movie casting is still up in the air.
Andrew Garfield and Martin Scorsese represent a rare breed in modern cinema: the actor who wants to be challenged and the director who refuses to stop asking the big questions. Whether they team up again for the Jesus movie or something else entirely, the work they've already put on screen stands as a high-water mark for both of them.
The best thing to do is stop scrolling for rumors and go back to the source. The films are where the real story is.
Next Step: You can look up the 2017 documentary The Fabric of Silence if you want a behind-the-scenes look at how Andrew Garfield actually prepared for the role on set in Taiwan.