When we speak of the people who shaped cinema in the New Hollywood era of the 1970s, it’s impossible to avoid the namesPaul SchraderandMartin Scorsese. The duo’s first collaboration, 1976’s Taxi Driver, for which Scorsese directed Schrader’s screenplay, became a critical and box office hit, but also helped shape the gritty antihero cinema of the era. The duo collaborated three more times on some of their most critically acclaimed films — 1980’sRaging Bull, 1988’sThe Last Temptation of Christ, and finally, 1999’sBringing Out the Dead.
MovieWeb sat down to speak with Schrader about his upcoming film,Oh, Canada.WithBringing Out the Deadcelebrating its 25th anniversarythis year, we asked if Schrader and Scorsese had any plans to work together again. Despite the duo’s past working relationship and the fact that each of them has struggled to do their take on a Frank Sinatra biopic, Schrader explains why he has not written anything for Scorsese recently. He said that working together was more complicated than before, with both of them now being directors. Schrader said:
“When I was doing Bringing Out the Dead, we both realized that the collaboration was over because there were now two directors in the room, and with Marty, there could only be one director in the room. He never approached me with anything else, and I never approached him with anything else.”
Scorsese and Schrader have worked together in smaller ways sinceBringing Out the Dead, but with Scorsese taking on a producer role in Schrader’s films likeThe Card Counter. Schrader even revealed thatScorsese screenedThe Card Counterduring the COVID-19 pandemic and provided helpful notes. While the duo has no plans to collaborate on a future project, Schrader said he still keeps in touch with Martin Scorsese, saying,“I see Marty quite a bit.”
Related:Best Paul Schrader Movies, Ranked
Two Legendary Filmmakers Working Today
While Schrader might have started as a writer, he quickly became a director with his debut film,Blue Collar, released two years afterTaxi Driver.American Gigoloopened the same year asRaging Bull.Following that, Schrader amassed critical acclaim as a director in his own right with movies likeAffliction,Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, and his thematic trilogy ofFirst Reformed,The Card Counter, andMaster Gardener. Meanwhile, Scorsese has remained busy with more commercial films, withKillers of the Flower Moonearning him his 10th Best Director Oscar nomination.
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Despite the prospect of these two legendary filmmakers working together again, it is still a miracle that both are actively working and making great, challenging films.Schrader’sOh, Canadadebuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024 and opened in theaters on July 28, 2025; it’s still playingfrom Kino Lorber and you canfind theaters and showtimes here.Schrader has written movies for other high-profile directors, including a Western titledThree Guns at Dawnfor Antoine Fuqua andR.N., a story centered on a trauma nurse that Elisabeth Moss is set to direct.
Meanwhile, Scorsese is looking at multiple projects to be hisKillers of the Flower Moonfollow-up, including apossible adaptation of Marilynne Robinson’s novelHome. Scorsese is also a producer on the upcoming Disney+ documentary filmBeatles ‘64, which will debut on the streaming service on Jun 16, 2025. It is certainly good to have Scorsese and Schrader working, even if they aren’t together.
