Martin Scorsese's ‘The Audition’ Dubbed as Most Expensive Ad; Short Film Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt Financed by Macau Casino

By Staff Writer

Nov 03 2015, 10:30 AM EST

'The Audition' is a short film directed by Martin Scorcese. It stars Hollywood A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Brad Pitt. It is tagged as the most expensive ad in the world at $70 million.

According to IndieWire, the 15-minute short film directed by Martin Scorcese debuted in Macau and was attended by stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. The short, financed by casino-resorts Macau Studio and Manila City of Dreams, also served as promotional material for a set of new casinos in Asia. It had a reported budget of $70 million making it one of the most expensive advertisements ever created.

The multi-million dollar film was funded for the opening of a Hollywood-themed Studio City resort for Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd., according to Vanity Fair. During a press conference, DiCaprio recalled working with De Niro at the age of 15-years in a film called 'This Boy's Life'. He added, "The great honor for me is these two men are really like my two fathers in the world of cinema."

Scorcese's latest short centers DiCaprio and De Niro, portraying themselves, vying for the same role in a new film with the director that is based in a casino. DiCaprio said, "The premise of this competition was very humorous for both of us because we've both done a lot of films with Mr. Scorsese so what would it be like if we both showed up at this casino competing for the same role but we didn't know it yet. But for me, the great joy was finally getting to be on set with both of these guys."

Australian billionaire James Packer, who owns the $3.2 billion Macau casino, revealed that the movie stars came in "for free". According to The Australian, Packer said that he and De Niro were old friends and that the whole stint was the actor's idea. He added, "Leo and Marty have under promised and over delivered. They have been such good friends and supporters and I couldn't be more thankful."

Brad Pitt also makes a cameo in later parts of 'The Audition'. The film was penned by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Terence Winter, who collaborated with Scorcese in the upcoming HBO television series 'Vinyl'. Producer Brett Ratner hoped that the short would someday make it into a full feature film.

'The Audition' is a 15-minute short film directed by Martin Scorcese. It premiered in China on October 28, 2015 for the promotion of Melco Crown's Macau casino.