George Gershwin Movie Musical FASCINATING RHYTHM in the Works; John Carney to Direct

According to Deadline, Martin Scorsese, Irwin Winkler and director John Carney (Once, Sing Street) are teaming up for a new film based on composer George Gershwin. Titled Fascinating Rhythm, the movie is described as "a young woman's magical journey through past and present New York City, inspired by the life and music of American composer George Gershwin."

Scorsese and Winkler will produce.

George Gershwin was an American composer, pianist and painter whose compositions spanned both popular and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928), the songs "Swanee" (1919) and "Fascinating Rhythm" (1924), the jazz standard "I Got Rhythm" (1930), and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935), which gave birth to the hit "Summertime".

Gershwin studied piano under Charles Hambitzer and composition with Rubin Goldmark, Henry Cowell, and Joseph Brody. He began his career as a song plugger but soon started composing Broadway theater works with his brother Ira Gershwin and with Buddy DeSylva. Gershwin moved to Hollywood and composed numerous film scores. He died in 1937 of a malignant brain tumor. His compositions have been adapted for use in film and television, with several becoming jazz standards recorded and covered in many variations.

His music has been most recently seen on Broadway in My One and Only, Crazy for You, Nice Work If You Can Get It, An American in Paris and Porgy and Bess.