Martin Scorsese Jonestown Movie: Is it Real?

Apple TV+’s ‘The Studio‘ delves into the whimsical behind-the-scenes of a legacy Hollywood studio known as Continental Studios, where massive changes take place following the promotion of studio executive Matt Remick to the post of studio head. As Remick grows familiar with the demands of his new role, he must navigate the challenges of making artistic decisions that also pay back commercially. This becomes all the more complicated when he strikes a deal with acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese on a new project that revolves around the Jonestown Massacre. The film’s controversial subject matter makes Remick’s life difficult later as he comes to terms with the directives set upon him by his CEO, Griffin Mill. To that end, it leaves the fate of the project up in the air as the studio head makes some tough calls.

The Jonestown Movie Almost Happened, But Scorsese Was Never Attached to it

As depicted throughout the series, ‘The Studio’ tries to weave truth with fiction wherever possible in the narrative. The combination of the two can often lead to some confusing outcomes that feel both authentic and make-believe at the same time. Such is the case with Martin Scorsese’s Jonestown movie in the Apple TV+ series, which was conceived by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Frida Perez, Peter Huyck, and Alex Gregory. While the film pitched in the show is mostly fictional, it touches upon other projects in the past that have also been rooted in incidents surrounding the Jonestown Massacre. For instance, in November 2021, Deadline announced that a ‘Jim Jones’ film project was underway at MGM with Leonardo DiCaprio starring as the notorious cult leader. Scott Rosenberg penned the script, which reportedly delved into the Jonestown incident through Jones’ eyes.

While no director was ever attached to the piece, DiCaprio, a frequent collaborator of Scorsese’s, also served as producer. However, the project lost steam following its initial announcement as MGM merged with Amazon and DiCaprio forged ahead with other movie roles, making it unlikely to materialize. It is likely that the creative team behind ‘The Studio’ used real-life sources like the planned ‘Jim Jones’ movie, among many others, as an inspiration behind their own narrative. Ironically, the fate of the fictional film is similar to the one faced by the MGM-led project. In the show, Matt Remick ends up shelving Scorsese’s film after a significant misunderstanding and mistake on his part, leading to it never seeing the light of day. Although it isn’t his original intention, it leaves a tragic aftertaste in the mouth.

Initially, Remick and Scorsese have a meeting in the former’s office, where the studio head decides to greenlight the Jonestown movie with a massive budget. He sees the film as a blessing in disguise as it gives him the opportunity to disguise the Kool-Aid movie being demanded by Mill as an auteur-led film with some merit behind it. As such, he negotiates a deal with Scorsese to name the film ‘Kool-Aid’ to tick-mark all the corporate requirements being imposed on him while also adhering to a semblance of artistic integrity. It showcases his role’s complexity, which becomes increasingly untenable as the commercial aspects take precedence. Thus, while the Jonestown movie project may be drawn from the writers’ imagination, it plays a specific role within the narrative, adding to the satirical undertones of the series and the politics of filmmaking.