Variety exclusively revealed that famed director Martin Scorsese will soon be seen in front of the camera. Following a few other cameos, such as an appearance as Vincent van Gogh in Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams and an appearance as a pufferfish in the animated comedy Shark Tale, Scorsese is set to take on a more impactful role in Julian Schnabel’s new film In the Hand of Dante. In the film, the iconic director plays the mentor of main character Dante Alighieri, the writer of Inferno, Purgatorio and The Divine Comedy: Paradiso. 

Schnabel told Variety that Scorsese is “extraordinary in the film” and that the viewer “can’t take [their] eyes off him.” Schnabel also described Scorcese’s part as “a brilliant, important role.” 

In the Hand of Dante tells dual stories, one story will take place in the 14th century and the other will be set in the 21st century. It is based on the book of the same name by Nick Tosches, which revolves around a fictionalized version of the author coming across a manuscript of the epic poem, The Divine Comedy, in the Vatican Library. The film’s star, Oscar Isaac, plays both the fictional Tosches and Dante, who meets Scorsese’s character, an (as of now) unnamed mentor in Venice while on his journey to write The Divine Comedy. 

“It’s sort of before the poem is finished,” Schnabel added, “So this guy has been an influence on Dante, and he’s probably the only one whose review he cared about.” Dante visits Scorsese’s character “a few times over a period of 20 years, but sort of compressed into a few visits.”

The film, which was largely shot in Italy, also stars Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler and Al Pacino. The film is rumored to be on the lineup at the upcoming Venice Film Festival.