There are two sides to the Martin Scorsese coin, and it has been this way for quite some time. On one side, there’s the passionate cineaste, whose adoration for the medium (and the industry’s deep, rich history) can be seen draped all over Hugo, in theaters now. On the other side, however, lies a “budding” documentary filmmaker who desperately seeks an outlet on which to download the massive files of information and trivia locked up in his brain. Since 1970’s Street Scenes, Scorsese has worked out his passions in documentary form, often commenting on music as well as his Italian heritage and relationship with New York City. But now it sounds like Scorsese’s interest in film history and documentary filmmaking may marry for an anticipated picture.

In a lengthy feature on Michael Henry Wilson’s new book Scorsese On Scorsese, The Independent UK reports that the Oscar-winning director is collaborating with Wilson on a “new doc about British cinema.” It’s one of those news nuggets that dropped in the middle of an introductory paragraph, and never mentioned again … which frustrates because I’d much rather hear more about Scorsese’s aim for such an expansive project than have him talk about Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver yet again (which is what happens in the article).

The feature’s still a good read, and I’m hoping a copy of Scorsese On Scorsese sits underneath my Christmas tree later this year. But tell me more about Scorsese’s British cinema documentary. Because as of right now, the director’s in pre-production on a religious drama Silence (with Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro) and is contemplating a Frank Sinatra film with Leonardo DiCaprio, according to reports. So when might we see this? And what will it entail? We’ll bring you details as they emerge.