This Sunday marks the premiere of “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints,” a docudrama series on Fox Nation, hosted, narrated, and executive produced by the Oscar-winning filmmaker. Scorsese will share the extraordinary tales of eight individuals whose steadfast faith led to their canonization by the Catholic Church. Each episode will spotlight a specific saint, starting with the first four over the coming month, while the remaining episodes will air leading up to Easter.

The series will cover the lives of Joan of Arc, John the Baptist, Sebastian, Maximilian Kolbe, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Becket, Mary Magdalene, and Moses the Black. The concept originated from Matti Leshem, a Jewish Hollywood producer from Israel. How did this come about?

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“I need to mention, not many expect a proud Jew like me to propose a series about the Saints,” Leshem shared. “My father was an Israeli ambassador and, like many Holocaust survivors, he was a strict atheist. This allowed me the freedom to choose my education. I attended Ramaz in New York, a yeshiva, and later, we moved to Denmark where the best school was a Catholic institution. He was supportive of my choice. Although I was exempt from catechism, I attended and enjoyed the stories. I’ve always been intrigued by how individuals relate to faith, despite religion often complicating that connection. The stories of these saints captivated me from a young age.”

He envisioned an anthology series on saints and immediately thought of Scorsese, a former seminary student, as the ideal collaborator. Leshem had just thirty minutes to present his pitch.

“Marty said he only had half an hour to spare,” Leshem recalled. “I decided to dive right in. I opened my laptop and talked for thirty minutes, and just as my time was up, Marty said, ‘Wait a second.’ Two and a half hours later, we were still deep in conversation.”

Scorsese was intrigued by the concept, while Leshem was impressed by the director’s understanding of the saints. “We had an incredible, in-depth discussion about these saints and the best of humanity, which is the essence of the show,” Leshem stated. “At the end of our conversation, I asked Mr. Scorsese what our next step should be, and he replied, ‘I’m your partner,’ shaking my hand.”

Person

Martin Scorsese, Matti Leshem, John the Baptist, Joan of Arc, Sebastian, Maximilian Kolbe, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Becket, Mary Magdalene, Moses the Black

Company Names

Fox Nation, Disney+

Titles

Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints, Beatles ’64

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