Scorsese’s What Happens at Night Reflects Evolving Storytelling

Martin Scorsese’s What Happens at Night is an upcoming psychological gothic horror film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. This would mark DiCaprio’s seventh feature film with Scorsese since 2022. Their previous collaborations were Gangs of New York (2022), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Shutter Island (2010), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).​

DiCaprio has said Scorsese is so meticulous that even a single scene feels like watching two films. The Titanic star is in awe of the director’s hard work behind every film, as the screenings go on for several days before the film is deemed perfect for the final release.​

The only regret DiCaprio feels is that he cannot be a detailed part of Scorsese’s process of developing a film and storyboarding, as the actor is busier with his acting side of the feature.

Also, DiCaprio teamed up once again with Jennifer Lawrence. Previously, they were seen in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up (2021). Both have agreed in an interview with Variety that they don’t rewatch their own films, suggesting a shared vulnerability and understanding regarding their personal experiences with fame and self-reflection.

Plot details of What Happens at Night

The film is adapted from Peter Cameron’s 2020 novel of the same name. The story follows a married couple traveling to a remote European town in the Arctic Circle to adopt a baby.​

A bar is always open in the frozen, bleak, and grey area, already giving spooky vibes. The wife is a cancer patient but wants to be happy before she dies. She is already physically and emotionally drained and wants to save their strained relationship with a baby’s adoption.

The story would take an unexpected turn, as the novel indicates. The first-look images from the production site have already dropped, and we can’t contain our excitement.​

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Other cast members include Jared Harris, Mads Mikkelsen, and Patricia Clarkson. The executive producers of the film are Lisa Frechette and Marianne Bower, while Scorsese is serving as the producer.  

After DiCaprio’s recent feature, One Battle After Another, winning big at the Oscars 2026, with Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA) crowned the Best Director, the ensemble for What Happens at Night looks unreal.

JoBlo even reported that PTA rewrote the script for What Happens at Night, an act he had done many times before without any credit. One example is Killers of the Flower Moon, for which PTA gave uncredited rewrites upon DiCaprio’s request.  ​

PTA opened up about giving volunteer support to all those who are in need. He finds it a privilege to help those who reach out to him, as he loves giving his thoughts to any piece of art.

The original screenplay for What Happens was written by Patrick Marber, known for the films Closer (1997) and Notes on a Scandal (2006). It is still unclear how much of the input Anderson gave on the script rewrite.

How does Scorsese’s What Happens at Night reflect upon his evolved storytelling?​

The Goodfellas director is famed for intense, character-driven dramas and thrillers, with his directorial style featuring fast-paced editing and dynamic tracking shots. His work includes exploring themes of guilt, faith, and redemption.

​His current project would demonstrate a shift in his storytelling since we would watch him move from expansive historical epics to dark and surreal atmospheres in the character-driven drama. We would likely be served with the intense psychological turmoil the couple would have to go through since the wife is suffering from cancer, and the couple desperately wants a child.

Echoing his previous work on Shutter Island, the existential dread would be evident, which aims to move away from the gritty realism of Killers of the Flower Moon and delve deeper into the ghost story of a bizarre frozen world.​

His directing style will move from sprawling, expansive film stories to a more confined hotel story. A more intimate and claustrophobic style is expected from the director, set within a restricted and isolated space that recalls Shutter Island, but in a more fevered tone.​

When is What Happens at Night releasing?

The film is coming to life through a partnership of Studio Canal and Apple Original Films. It is expected to be distributed by Apple TV+, but an official release date has not been announced yet.