‘What Happens at Night’: First Look at Jennifer Lawrence & Leonardo DiCaprio in New Scorsese Thriller

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As a huge Scorsese fan, I’ve always thought of him as the king of crime movies – films like Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street are just classics! It’s amazing to see how some of his earlier work, like The King of Comedy, which didn’t do so well at first, have become so beloved by fans over the years. Even movies like Shutter Island, which people were a bit divided on when they came out, are now seen as really important parts of his filmography. What I love most is that he’s always willing to try new things and approaches every project with such energy and genuine excitement.

The director returns to thrillers with What Happens at Night, bringing together Jennifer Lawrence, in her first project with the director, and frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio. The film also stars Jared Harris, Mads Mikkelsen, and Patricia Clarkson, who previously appeared with DiCaprio in Shutter Island. Apple has shared the first image from the movie, showing Lawrence and DiCaprio standing near a car in a snowy, rural setting.


Apple Original Films

The film What Happens at Night is a suspenseful horror thriller based on Peter Cameron’s novel. It follows a couple’s journey to Europe to adopt a child. Director Martin Scorsese has a long-time appreciation for psychological horror, particularly the films of Val Lewton (like Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie), and even made a documentary about Lewton’s life and work.

Working with Martin Scorsese is like taking a film history class. He’s made many documentaries about the history of American and Italian cinema and often lectures about how important film is. Leonardo DiCaprio warned Jennifer Lawrence to expect lots of movie references, as he shared during their conversation for Variety’s Actors on Actors.

He often shares examples using DVDs, and if you don’t have a player, he’ll suggest getting one. He might show even a full movie just to focus on a single scene, perhaps to illustrate pacing or a specific element he wants you to learn from. Sometimes, he’ll use films—like Japanese ghost stories—as references to help establish a particular mood or atmosphere. Overall, it’s a really valuable and enjoyable experience.


Paramount Pictures

To get Leonardo DiCaprio ready for Shutter Island, the director gave him a film school lesson featuring one of his own favorite filmmakers, Sam Fuller. They watched Fuller’s Shock Corridor (1963), a story about a police officer who goes undercover in a mental hospital to investigate a murder. The director also showed DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley classic noir films like Laura (1944) and Out of the Past (1947). For DiCaprio’s preparation, Scorsese also included Alfred Hitchcock’s suspenseful film Vertigo (1958).

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As a lifelong movie fan, I was completely captivated by the documentary about Martin Scorsese himself, Mr. Scorsese. It’s this fantastic five-part series from Apple where he just lights up talking about the filmmakers he loves – Hitchcock, Powell & Pressburger, John Ford, and so many others. He always articulates so beautifully why movies are important to him, and to all of us. It makes perfect sense to me that he, along with folks like Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson, have been so dedicated to keeping Turner Classic Movies going. They clearly believe, as I do, that understanding film history is crucial for shaping what comes next. And I’m absolutely certain that passion for cinema’s past will be all over his new film, What Happens at Night.

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2026-03-19 22:27