Scorsese to direct 'Sinatra' bio-pic

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., May 14 (UPI) -- Hollywood's Universal Pictures says it has acquired the feature film project "Sinatra" from Mandalay Pictures and hired Martin Scorsese to direct it.

"Field of Dreams" writer Phil Alden Robinson is writing the screenplay for "Sinatra," based on the life of the late U.S. entertainer.

Universal Pictures and Mandalay Pictures have been developing the project, after securing the Frank Sinatra life rights and music rights from Frank Sinatra Enterprises, a joint venture of the Sinatra Estate and Warner Music Group.

"We have dreamt of making a movie about Frank Sinatra, and Marty Scorsese is undeniably the perfect vision keeper for this project," Chairman of Mandalay Entertainment Group Peter Guber said in a statement Wednesday.

"In addition to our excitement at having Marty in the director's chair, we are thrilled to be in business with Universal, the Sinatra estate, Warner Music Group and the talented Phil Alden Robinson on this project about one of our greatest entertainers," said Cathy Schulman, president of Mandalay Pictures.

"My father had great admiration for the talent of the people he chose to work with, and the talented people who worked with my father had great admiration for him," said Tina Sinatra. "It is personally pleasing to me that this paradigm continues with Marty Scorsese at the helm of the Sinatra film."