The Departed's Untold Tragedy: How a Test Screening Crushed Franchise Dreams, Revealed by Scorsese

Summary

Director Martin Scorsese reveals that Warner Bros. wanted to keep Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon's characters alive in The Departed for potential franchise opportunities.

The director remembers that although the early test screening of the movie was positively received by audiences, the WB executives expressed their disappointment at the limited potential for franchising. However, the deaths of DiCaprio and Damon's characters played a crucial role in emphasizing the themes of The Departed, and altering the story to accommodate potential sequels might have undermined the overall impact of the film.

The film The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, shattered any hopes of a franchise for Warner Bros. executives after a test screening. Released in 2006, the movie follows the dangerous cat-and-mouse game between an undercover cop and a mole in the police department. With a stellar cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, and Martin Sheen, only one character survives till the end.

In a recent interview with GQ, Scorsese recalls being asked by Warner Bros. to keep both DiCaprio and Damon's characters alive in the film to leave room for a potential Departed sequel. "What they wanted was a franchise," the director remembers. "It wasn't about the moral question of a person's life or death." Despite these requests, Scorsese chose not to comply. He then recounts a test screening of the movie that received positive feedback from audiences but left the studio executives unimpressed. Read his comment below:

"And then the studio guys walked out and they were very sad, because they just didn’t want that movie. They wanted the franchise. Which means: I can’t work here any more.”

Would A Departed Franchise Have Worked?

Unlike many filmmakers, Scorsese has never ventured into creating a follow-up to any of his own movies. It's evident that his creative pursuits rest in exploring fresh narratives and characters, with each of his films presenting a new and captivating story. Consequently, it comes as no surprise that Scorsese resisted the idea of turning The Departed into a franchise. In doing so, he would have had to compromise his artistic vision for the sake of commercial interests, as preserving the lives of DiCaprio and Damon's characters would have been paramount. Hence, it's safe to assume that if a sequel to The Departed ever emerged, Scorsese would choose not to partake in its production.

Furthermore, the death of DiCaprio's character, Billy, remains etched in the annals of cinema as one of the most unforgettable demises. Its sheer shock value and unexpected turn of events cleverly tug at the audience's heartstrings. The demise of Billy intertwines seamlessly with the essence of The Departed and its underlying themes, serving as a poignant reminder of the perils faced when trying to do what is right in a world characterized by cruelty and injustice. Similarly, the death of Damon's character, Colin, plays a pivotal role in the narrative, as Wahlberg's character, Dignam, takes matters into his own hands during the film's climactic moments.

There is no inherent flaw in the concept of creating a sequel to The Departed. In fact, Wahlberg attempted to spearhead a spin-off centered around Dignam, but Warner Bros. seemingly weren't convinced by the proposal. Ultimately, The Departed does not require nor necessitate a franchise. However, if a sequel were to come to fruition, adopting a "spiritual sequel" approach, where a fresh story with new characters unfolds within the same world, would likely have been the most suitable course of action.

Source: GQ