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Scorsese And De Niro Planning Taxi Driver Sequel?
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Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are planning a sequel to the critically-acclaimed Taxi Driver, the 1976 movie that made De Niro an icon, according to industry gossip at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Scorsese 67, is in Berlin to promote his new psychothriller, Shutter Island, a thriller based on the bestselling book by Dennis Lehane.
The reports appear to originate from a Danish film magazine, Ekko which reported that Martin Scorsese is in talks with Lars Von Trier about a follow-up to the classic 1976. It’s unclear whether it would be a reboot, sequel or prequel or what but Von Trier and Scorsese were both at the film festival allegedly talking about collaborating on the film.
Meanwhile, Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader has provided some insight into the rumoured sequel’s plot, revealing Scorsese has been considering a follow-up film for years.
Schrader tells the New York Post,
“I was talking with Martin Scorsese about doing a sequel to Taxi Driver, where (Travis Bickle) is older.”
Taxi Driver (1976), Robert De Niro
Von Trier’s partner at the Zentropa film production company, Peter Aalbek, would “neither confirm nor deny” the news, but did say an official announcement would be forthcoming. It’s entirely possible that von Trier and Scorsese could be co-directing the new film together, or that these are two different projects in the works. But hopefully, the aforementioned conversation between von Trier and Scorsese means the latter will be involved in the Taxi Driver sequel in some way (perhaps in an advisory capacity?).
Although von Trier has always seemed like something of an iconoclast, he wouldn’t be the first European director to try a sequel or spin-off from a successful classic. Recently, German-born Werner Herzog helmed Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, which was inspired by Abel Ferrera’s 1992 film Bad Lieutenant.
Should be a great project for Scorsese and De Niro, don’t you think?
Taxi Driver Poster (1976) 
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