What we know about Martin Scorsese’s new movie The Wager

Scorsese and DiCaprio team-up for a seventh time to adapt a sea-set story

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio reunite for The Wager. (Getty Images)
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio reunite for The Wager. (Getty Images)

Following the release of Killers of the Flower Moon hasn’t even reached audiences yet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are already planning their next team-up in The Wager.

A tale of sea, mutiny, heroes and villains, this sea-set tale will mark the pair’s eighth collaboration over a 20-year period and the continuation of a creative partnership that has earned both Academy Awards.

While little is currently known about The Wager, we’ll be gathering all the key details of its production before it sails onto a screen near you.

Read on for information on its release date, cast, plot, trailers and more.

The Wager will be Scorsese and DiCaprio's eighth feature film. (Warner Brothers Discovery)
The Wager will be Scorsese and DiCaprio's eighth feature film. (Warner Brothers Discovery)

With production still in its early stages, it’s currently unclear when The Wager will be released, with no concrete debut date confirmed as of yet.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple Original Films obtained the film rights to the book upon which the story is based, so it’s a safe bet that The Wager will eventually be launched on the company’s streaming outlet, Apple TV+.

However, much like Scorsese’s latest, Killers of the Flower Moon, there’s also the chance that it will receive a brief theatrical window, allowing viewers to experience the director’s work on the big screen.

The Wager is based on a book by journalist and author David Grann. (Getty Images)
The Wager is based on a book by journalist and author David Grann. (Getty Images)

Scorsese and DiCaprio’s latest is based on author David Grann’s nonfiction book The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder which was released in April 2023. Grann has already garnered a working relationship with Scorsese, having written the book upon which Killers of the Flower Moon was based.

Set in the 1740s, The Wager tells the story of a group of sailors who wash ashore in Brazil and are quickly hailed as heroes thanks to their ability to survive the sea and harsh elements. However, not long afterwards another ship washes ashore with a new batch of sailors who accuse the original bunch of leading a mutiny on their ship.

. English: Fleuron from book: A voyage to the South Seas, and to many other parts of the world, performed from the month of September in the year 1740, to June 1744, by Commodore Anson, In his Majesty's Ship the Centurion, Having under his Command The Gloucester, Pearl, Severn, Wager, Trial, and two Store-Ships. By an Officer of the Fleet. 252 A voyage to the South Seas Fleuron T144348-11
A picture of a boat from the same era as The Wager. (Alamy)

What follows is a trial set up by the British Admiralty to get to the truth of what actually happened to these men in the open sea.

However, while trying to uncover the real story, those involved also reveal the ruthless qualities of both mother nature and human behaviour.

So far, Leonardo DiCaprio is the only confirmed castmember for The Wager. (WireImage)
So far, Leonardo DiCaprio is the only confirmed castmember for The Wager. (WireImage)

The full cast for The Wager has yet to be revealed. So far, all we know for sure is that it will star DiCaprio who reteams with Scorsese directly after starring in Killers of the Flower Moon. Both creatives bought the rights to adapt Grann’s work.

Scorsese is no stranger to casting actors that he has worked with before — including people like Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Daniel Day-Lewis. While the latter has officially retired from acting, it’s not out of the question to think that the others may pop-up should the right role present itself.

However, at this stage, all casting conversations are purely speculation. As soon as we know for sure who’ll be starring in The Wager, you’ll find it here.

A trailer for The Wager hasn't washed ashore yet but seen as it’s yet to actually enter production, this isn’t all that surprising. Whenever it arrives, we'll stick it here.


The Wager is coming soon.