The film tells the story of his character and another Portuguese Jesuit who go on a voyage to Japan in the 17th Century amid rumours his mentor has abandoned the church, reported Contactmusic.
Scorsese, who grew up in a Catholic environment and initially dreamed of being a priest, admits the project is close to his heart, but has concerns about whether the plot can be implemented effectively on the big screen.
"It's something that has always been part of my life. It's difficult for people to understand who are not part of that world that I grew up in, which was Roman Catholicism in New York City in the 1950s. I was impressed enough to try to become part of that world, and realised at the age of 15 or 16 that it was much tougher, much more complicated than I thought ... In terms of vocation.