Martin Scorsese developing biopic of classical pianist Byron Janis

Martin Scorsese is developing a biopic of the classical pianist Byron Janis, in a project that extends the director’s interest in music throughout his career.

According to Variety, the Oscar-winning director of The Departed is producing the drama, based on a pitch by Peter Glanz, who is also writing the script. Glanz’s credits include The Longest Week, a comedy with Jason Bateman.

Janis was an American pianist who admired the work of Frederic Chopin, and who made a French film about him and even uncovered two of the composer’s previously unknown manuscripts in the 1960s. Janis, who is now 87, was selected by the US as the first American to be sent to the Soviet Union, in 1960. There is no word yet on whether Scorsese will direct.

His Oscar-tipped drama Silence, about Jesuit priests that stars Liam Neeson and Andrew Garfield, will be released later this year. He is also executive producer of the new HBO drama Vinyl, which follows the music scene in New York in the 1970s.

Scorsese’s career has often showcased his interest in music, with documentaries such as Shine a Light, No Direction Home and The Blues. He is also currently linked to a Frank Sinatra biopic, a Grateful Dead documentary and a film about the history of the Ramones.