Scorsese to Direct DiCaprio & The Rock in Hawaiian Mob Film + New Project with Lawrence & Mikkelsen

Martin Scorsese is set to direct a new crime thriller, bringing together Leonardo DiCaprio and Dwayne Johnson in a project inspired by the true story of a Hawaiian mob boss. The film, which will explore the violent underworld of 1960s and 70s Hawaii, is being written by journalist and screenwriter Nick Bilton.

The untitled feature will focus on a charismatic mob boss who built a powerful criminal empire in Hawaii, battling rival syndicates and mainland corporations even as attempting to protect his ancestral land. According to a logline provided by 20th Century Studios, the film will depict “the last great American mob saga, where the war for cultural survival takes place in the unlikeliest of places: paradise.”

This marks the first collaboration between Scorsese and Johnson, and the seventh time Scorsese has directed DiCaprio. The pair have previously worked together on films including Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). Emily Blunt, who co-starred with Johnson in 2021’s Jungle Cruise and will appear alongside him in Benny Safdie’s upcoming Smashing Machine, is similarly expected to join the cast, though this has not been officially confirmed.

The project originated with Blunt, who, along with Johnson, approached DiCaprio and Scorsese with the concept. Bilton is also co-authoring a forthcoming book with Johnson that serves as the basis for the screenplay. Producers on the film include Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions, Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions, Blunt’s Ledbury Productions, and Bilton’s True Story Productions.

Beyond the Hawaiian crime drama, Scorsese is also developing an adaptation of Peter Cameron’s novel What Happens at Night. This project, backed by Studiocanal and Apple Original Films – partners on Killers of the Flower Moon – will star DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, who previously appeared together in Don’t Look Up. Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is also set to feature in the film.

Written by British playwright Patrick Marber, What Happens at Night centers on an American couple traveling to a remote European town to adopt a child. Their journey becomes an existential drama as the wife’s health declines and they encounter strange individuals within a labyrinthine hotel. The film is currently slated for a 2027 release, but no firm date has been set.