Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • SFX
Total Film The smarter take on movies
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows
Recommended reading
Martin Scorsese
Drama Movies Martin Scorsese "went all Raging Bull" when asked why he doesn't watch movies in theaters anymore, but his answer is sadly relatable
Martin Scorsese
Comedy Shows Martin Scorsese thought his cameo in Apple TV Plus show with great Rotten Tomatoes score was being filmed "wrong," but he didn't want to "be a backseat director" and point it out
Daniel Craig/Cillian Murphy
Drama Movies James Bond's Daniel Craig and Oppenheimer's Cillian Murphy are in the spotlight for a new prison drama from the director of La La Land
Next James Bond
Action RPGs Next James Bond: The 27 actors who could replace Daniel Craig as the new 007
Daniel Craig in Skyfall standing next to a car.
James Bond Movies The reported shortlist for the next James Bond director has me excited and terrified about the future of 007
The White Lotus
Horror Movies American Psycho reboot has another potential Patrick Bateman: The White Lotus and Gen V star Patrick Schwarzenegger
King Kong doing his thing on the Empire State Building in 1933's King Kong
Movies The 32 greatest New York City movies ever made
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

Who Could Play Frank Sinatra?

Features
By Total Film published 15 May 2009

Scorsese's Ol' Blue Eyes biopic is go. We cast it our way...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp

Qualifications: He’s versatile, and Sweeney Todd proved he could sing (still, they’ll likely dub in the songs).

Depp’s always up for a challenge and he does bear a passing resemblance to Ol’ Blue Eyes, even if he has, er, brown eyes (but that’s what contacts are made for). Plus, he brings huge star/box-office appeal…

Problems: …which most likely isn’t what Marty Scorsese will be after.

He’s taken chances on young unknowns before and with the Sinatra name and songs attached, this is one film that could promote itself without too much cranking of the star wattage.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio

Qualifications: You mean, aside from the fact that Scorsese has used him in almost all of his recent films? The pair have established a serious rapport and Marty has already slotted Leo into one real-life story ( The Aviator ).

Plus DiCaprio has the easy charm and looks to pull off a Sinatra turn.

Problems: Like Depp, he’s also a little over-exposed and chances are audiences may see that nice Mr DiCaprio instead of the Chairman Of The Board.

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Matt Damon

Matt Damon

Qualifications: He looks more like Frankie than many of the other contenders, and he’s got proven singing talent.

He’s also able to submerge himself into parts, which could see him vanishing into the role and subverting the extreme famousness factor.

We’re also betting he could cope with a wider range of Sinatra’s life, depending on how much of it Scorsese and writer Phil Alden Robinson plan to show.

Problems: He’s still a famous face, despite that chameleonic ability.

And while Damon could easily handle the bare-knuckle bruiser side of Sinatra’s life, we’re not 100% convinced he’s got the burning fire of authority to command attention when Frank takes to the stage.

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
James Franco

James Franco

Qualifications: Despite appearing in some recent major movies (the Spider-Man franchise, Milk , Pineapple Express ), Franco is still not a big star/leading man – which could work to his advantage.

Also, the eyes have it – he could clearly channel Sinatra with just one gaze.

Problems: He’s got the looks, but he’d have to work at the attitude.

And he might be a little too young - again, depending on Scorsese's time-frame. Still, could be a job for the Benjamin Button make-up folks...

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Chris Pine

Chris Pine

Qualifications: He’s just rocketed himself into the stratosphere as Captain Kirk in Star Trek – but he’s not a movie star just yet.

Which is why he could be ideal – he’s clearly able to pull off a multilayered role that spans both Smooth Operator and Brawler, and, like Franco, he definitely has the eyes.

Problems: Too young, too slight.

Still, Marty might go down a sort of I 'm Not There route - using different actors for different stages of Sinatra's life. Pine would be pretty much pre-loaded as Early Frank.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Harry Connick Jr

Harry Connick Jr

Qualifications: He’s certainly qualified in the crooning department.

And while he’s dutifully kept up with the acting game, he’s never exactly been a huge star, which means he could play Sinatra without the baggage.

Problems: We doubt he’s the level of thesp that Scorsese would feel comfortable with.

He might have the pipes, but he doesn’t display the chops very often and usually comes off a little too stiff to play one of the smoothest crooners to walk the Earth.

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
CG Sinatra

CG Sinatra

Qualifications: Doesn’t need a big trailer. Doesn’t need a big salary.

Yes, we mean hire a total unknown, shove a blue mask over his noggin and layer on a CG Frank for most of the running time.

If Brad Pitt can play a crinkly baby thanks to computer trickery, then surely Frank can come back to digital life.

Problems: Cheap on salary but the techniques would cost a fortune. Might be too distracting - and it's more Cameron than Scorsese.

Who's your ideal cine-Sinatra? Comment!

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Total Film

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

See more Movies Features
Read more
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese "went all Raging Bull" when asked why he doesn't watch movies in theaters anymore, but his answer is sadly relatable
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese thought his cameo in Apple TV Plus show with great Rotten Tomatoes score was being filmed "wrong," but he didn't want to "be a backseat director" and point it out
Daniel Craig/Cillian Murphy
James Bond's Daniel Craig and Oppenheimer's Cillian Murphy are in the spotlight for a new prison drama from the director of La La Land
Next James Bond
Next James Bond: The 27 actors who could replace Daniel Craig as the new 007
Daniel Craig in Skyfall standing next to a car.
The reported shortlist for the next James Bond director has me excited and terrified about the future of 007
The White Lotus
American Psycho reboot has another potential Patrick Bateman: The White Lotus and Gen V star Patrick Schwarzenegger
Latest in Movies
Jonah Hauer-King, Sarah Pidgeon, Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, and Tyriq Withers in I Know What You Did Last Summer
I'm as surprised as you, but it looks like decent horror reboots might be back, as I Know What You Did Last Summer gets overwhelmingly positive first reactions
The Rise of Skywalker
From Ant-Man to The Rise of Skywalker, movie fans are discussing the films that break their own rules
The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun sequel called "deliciously stupid" and "an actual comedy movie" in first reactions: "If there was any justice in the world, Liam Neeson would get an Oscar"
Peter Jackson at the premiere of The Hobbit
10 years after making The Hobbit trilogy, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is working on three different screenplays: "I’m certainly not retired"
Amy Adams as Louise Banks wearing an orange suit and holding up a sign that says "Human", during the sci-fi movie, Arrival.
From one of Denis Villeneuve's best sci-fi movies to an early Christopher Nolan thriller, the internet is suggesting the movies you absolutely have to watch with no prior knowledge
David Corenswet as Superman kneels by a broken robot in the new Superman movie.
Superman's big box-office takings prove the new superhero movie has done what it was supposed to: win "back the trust of our DC fans"
Latest in Features
A screenshot of PUCK eating an enemy during the upcoming Xbox Series X game, Shadow Labyrinth.
The best retro remakes and reboots out there aren't afraid to get weird with it – as Shadow Labyrinth being a dark and gritty Pac-Man game shows us
Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor in Superman
After Superman, I'm convinced that Lex Luthor is already a more exciting supervillain than Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom
Laezel BG3 evil ending
After 2 years, I've renewed my love for turn-based RPGs with these 5 games like Baldur's Gate 3 I can't stop recommending
A screenshot of Total War: Warhammer 3 showing grave guard soldiers jumping out of a siege tower beneath a grey sky
After 2,537 hours of playing Total War: Warhammer, I'm almost ready to say goodbye to Creative Assembly's best strategy series
Fallout: New Vegas
I'm going back to the five best post-apocalyptic games I ever played, thanks to Death Stranding 2 giving me a taste for the terrible
Death Stranding 2 Sam running through the desert near a derelict city
I'm entering my mailman era with these five delivery games, and Death Stranding 2 is entirely to blame
  1. Zion Wright grinds along a wooden balustrade in in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4's San Francisco level
    1
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans"
  2. 2
    College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf”
  3. 3
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  4. 4
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  5. 5
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...