IT'S (NOT) ONLY ROCK'N ROLL

After winning his first Oscar for The Departed, Martin Scorsese has enlisted the movie’s screenwriter, Bill Monahan, for a follow-up project. The good news is that The Departed was quite awesome, and future Scorsese/Monahan collaborations have similar potential to rock. The better news is that the duo’s next project will be an “epic rock ‘n’ roll feature” entitled The Long Play. And perhaps the best news is the involvement of devil-sympathizer Mick Jagger, who will coproduce the flick through his very own Jagged Films.

E! News reports: “The film will chronicle two friends over their 40-year ride in the music business. The Long Play will also highlight the rise and fall of musical genres along the way, touching on everything from the salad days of R&B to rock and up through contemporary hip-hop. The movie is based on an idea from the Rolling Stone frontman that was originally earmarked for Disney. The Mouse House passed on the script because it didn't quite jibe with their family-friendly reputation.”

Scorsese and Jagger recently teamed up for the tentatively-titled Shine a Light, a documentary film profiling The Rolling Stones. Scorsese filmed the band for two nights (October 29 and November 1, 2006) at New York City’s Beacon Theater, while such supersized stars as former President Bill Clinton dotted the sold-out crowds. Industry insiders expect the film to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this Fall, with a full-fledged release by the end of 2007.

One can’t help but have high hopes for any film that combines rock ‘n’ roll with Martin Scorsese’s direction. After all, this is the director who brought us The Last Waltz, regarded by Chicago Tribue film critic Michael Wilmington as “the greatest rock concert movie ever made – and maybe the best rock movie, period.” (On a side note, “The Last Waltz” was filmed on Thanksgiving Day, and all 5,000 audience members were given turkey dinners before The Band took the stage at 9:00. How cool is that? They really don’t make rock ‘n’ roll concerts like they used to.)

Here's to hoping that Scorsese can film rock ‘n’ roll concerts like he used to... and direct rock ‘n’ roll movies with similar success. We'd buy a ticket to both Shine a Light and The Long Play right now, but Fandango doesn't book that far in advance.