Martin Scorsese talks his viral (fake) Goncharov movie: 'I made that film years ago'

Martin Scorsese has finally addressed Goncharov, the internet-imagined Mafia movie fans of his, especially those on Tumblr, have "convinced" themselves he directed 50 years ago. The Oscar-winning filmmaker proved he was in on the joke recently when he poked fun at the viral fake flick in a text exchange with his daughter Francesca, who has since shared their brief talk on TikTok.

In the video, a screenshot of a conversation named 'Daddio' sees Francesca send her pops a link to a New York Times article titled 'The Fake Scorsese Film You Haven't Seen. Or Have You' alongside the message, "Did u see this?" In response, Scorsese wrote back, "Yes. I made that film years ago," and well, the World Wide Web is in bits all over again.

"Martin Scorsese himself just fondly acknowledged making Goncharov years ago and the world is a tiny bit brighter," one Twitter user reacted, as another tweeted: "Martin Scorsese not only acknowledging the bit but also playing along with it is the most satisfying ending this whole Goncharov madness could have gotten."

Over the last few days, Scorsese enthusiasts have knocked up music and scripts for the non-existent 1973 movie and a poster, too, featuring several of Scorsese's frequent collaborators, like Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel, as well as stars Cybill Shepherd and Al Pacino. In short, there's so much "evidence" out there that Goncharov 100%, absolutely exists, that many people have been left disappointed in recent weeks when they realized it was all an elaborate prank.

"Tumblr has been talking about a Martin Scorsese movie called Goncharov and I was getting really into it, really looking forward to watching it, and then it turned out they made it up completely," one saddened fan said.

Thankfully, even the most gloomy of Scorsese lovers can count on the Wolf of Wall Street helmer to cheer them up. In another corner of the internet, Scorsese delighted people when he revealed he'd not long watched Derry Girls – and that he thoroughly enjoyed the North Ireland-set comedy series. 

"Those nuns," he said with a grin, while appearing at a black tie event held by the Economic Club of Chicago. "Excuse me while I drop dead and actually die a death," Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee wrote on Twitter later on, sharing the widely-spread clip from her account. 

For more on Goncharov, check out our short-but-sweet explainer, which delves into its origins and "plot". If you'd rather concentrate on actual movies, though, have a read of our list of the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way over the next year or so.