{"id":1955000,"date":"2025-08-12T00:43:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T00:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1955000"},"modified":"2025-08-12T00:43:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T00:43:09","slug":"martin-scorsese-threatened-to-get-a-gun-to-protect-taxi-driver-from-studio-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/martin-scorsese-threatened-to-get-a-gun-to-protect-taxi-driver-from-studio-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin Scorsese threatened to get a gun to protect \u2018Taxi Driver\u2019 from studio cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Though it&#8217;s been nearly 40 years since <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nation.foxnews.com\/martin-scorsese-presents-the-saints-nation\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Martin Scorsese;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Martin Scorsese<\/a>&#8216;s &#8220;Taxi Driver&#8221; hit theaters, the Oscar Award-winning director still recalls the extreme measures he considered taking in order to convince the studio to greenlight the 1976 film in its entirety.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In a preview clip for Apple TV+&#8217;s documentary &#8220;Mr. Scorsese,&#8221; the 82-year-old director, along with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/steven-spielberg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Steven Spielberg,;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Steven Spielberg,<\/a> recalled the studio&#8217;s (Columbia Pictures) concern about the movie&#8217;s bloody content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Marty was very upset,&#8221; Spielberg, 78, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DBlEQHcXAJY\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:said at the beginning of the clip;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">said at the beginning of the clip<\/a>. &#8220;I get a call at the office, and he said, \u2018Steve, Steve, this is Marty. Can you come over to the house?\u2019&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/entertainment\/jodie-foster-claims-robert-de-niro-scared-of-her-taxi-driver\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jodie Foster Claims Robert De Niro Was \u2018Scared\u2019 Of Her When She Was 12 In 'Taxi Driver';elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>Jodie Foster Claims Robert De Niro Was \u2018Scared\u2019 Of Her When She Was 12 In &#8216;Taxi Driver&#8217;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Martin Scorsese once threatened studio executives to greenlight his 1976 film, &#8220;Taxi Driver.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;They wanted me to cut all the blood spurting,&#8221; Scorsese reveals. &#8220;They wanted me to cut the guy who loses the hand&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;You got a gun?&#8221; an interviewer asks him behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS\/mvaj7wvj\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Read On The Fox News App;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong><u>Read On The Fox News App<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I was going to get one,&#8221; he admits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;So you said you were going to get a gun?&#8221; the interviewer asks. &#8220;And you said you were going to do what with the gun?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>WATCH: NEW EPISODES OF \u2018MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS THE SAINTS\u2019 NOW STREAMING ON FOX NATION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t know. I was angry. I said I was going to threaten them&#8230; I&#8217;ll maybe just shoot or something. I had no idea. I mean, I was just threatening. What I wanted to do, and not with a gun, I would go in, find out where the rough cut is, and break the windows and take it away. They were going to destroy the film anyway, you know. So let me destroy it. I&#8217;ll destroy it. But before destroying it, I&#8217;m going to steal it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Spielberg said, &#8216;Marty, stop that. Marty you can&#8217;t do that.&#8217; I said&#8230; The more they said no, the more I said I was going to do it,&#8221; he continues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/newsletters\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Click Here To Sign Up For The Entertainment Newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>Click Here To Sign Up For The Entertainment Newsletter<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Spielberg said someone, possibly Scorsese, &#8220;mollified&#8221; the Motion Picture Association of America.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;What if we take that whole sequence and tone the color down and make it feel more like a tabloid,&#8221; Scorsese said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Martin Scorsese, record executive David Geffen, actress Marlo Thomas and screenwriter Robert Towne, at a screening of Scorsese's &quot;Taxi Driver,&quot; February 1976.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/3KjwyTTrCIEJddyRbvbx6w--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/fox_news_text_979\/513dabafa6d8d89aed5a2e6fcf1a2f36\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Martin Scorsese, record executive David Geffen, actress Marlo Thomas and screenwriter Robert Towne, at a screening of Scorsese&#8217;s &#8220;Taxi Driver,&#8221; February 1976.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;He saved the movie because he didn&#8217;t have to cut any of the violence, he just had to take the color red down to a kind of brown,&#8221; Spielberg explained.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A representative for Scorsese did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital&#8217;s request for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/entertainment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Like What You\u2019re Reading? Click Here For More Entertainment News;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>Like What You\u2019re Reading? Click Here For More Entertainment News<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The film, which starred Jodie Foster and Robert De Niro, received four nominations at the 49th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (De Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (Foster).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In 2024, Foster \u2014 who has been acting since she was 3 years old \u2014 opened up about her experience filming the thriller.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Jodie Foster and Robert De Niro in a scene from Taxi Driver\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/cuivVEHUFij0OOhPBKDGow--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/fox_news_text_979\/f3c264fb381125fb377b30c8325ebb50\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Jodie Foster starred in the film alongside Robert De Niro.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I first worked with Martin Scorsese when I was about 10 on \u2018Alice Doesn\u2019t Live Here Anymore,'&#8221; she said in an interview with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wmagazine.com\/culture\/jodie-foster-nyad-true-detective-interview\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:W magazine;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">W magazine<\/a>. &#8220;By the time I was 12, I\u2019d made a lot more films than De Niro or Scorsese.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;They were definitely scared of me. \u2018What do we do with this 12-year-old?\u2019 I was in my hot pants and corkies, or whatever those platform shoes were called.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Foster played a child prostitute in the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/taxi-driver-screenwriter-paul-schrader-trashes-woke-oscars-facebook-post-mean-less\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:1976 drama;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">1976 drama<\/a>. De Niro was 31 during filming, and he&#8217;d been acting for around a decade. Scorsese had directed seven full-length films and a number of shorts at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><i>Fox News Digital&#8217;s Emily Trainham contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Original article source:<\/em> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/entertainment\/martin-scorsese-threatened-get-gun-protect-taxi-driver-from-studio-cuts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Martin Scorsese threatened to get a gun to protect \u2018Taxi Driver\u2019 from studio cuts;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Martin Scorsese threatened to get a gun to protect \u2018Taxi Driver\u2019 from studio cuts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Though it&#8217;s been nearly 40 years since Martin Scorsese&#8216;s &#8220;Taxi Driver&#8221; hit theaters, the Oscar Award-winning director still recalls the extreme measures he considered taking in order to convince the studio to greenlight the 1976 film in its entirety. In a preview clip for Apple TV+&#8217;s documentary &#8220;Mr. Scorsese,&#8221; the 82-year-old director, along with Steven [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1955001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[316971,305425,342927,39031,309280,342926],"class_list":["post-1955000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-jodie-foster","tag-martin-scorsese","tag-marty","tag-robert-de-niro","tag-steven-spielberg","tag-taxi-driver"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Martin-Scorsese-threatened-to-get-a-gun-to-protect-\u2018Taxi.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1955000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1955001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1955000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1955000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1955000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}