Martin Scorsese has stepped in front of the camera for a new branded miniseries, Family Blend, made for Italian coffee company Lavazza and directed by his daughter, Francesca Scorsese. The five-episode project, which also features Jason Biggs and Adrien Brody, marks a rare on-screen turn for the veteran director and frames the collaboration as exploring the bond between the two generations of filmmakers, with coffee as a recurring theme.

Francesca shot the series at locations tied to her father's life and career, including New York's Little Italy and the Martin Scorsese NYU Virtual Production Center in Brooklyn. The first episode, "But First … Coffee," was released this week, with further instalments—"Elizabeth Street," "Back to Tisch," "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" and a final November episode—rolling out monthly through November. Lavazza's chief marketing officer, Carlo Colpo, said the series portrays coffee as "a cultural gesture that spans generations," while production credits include RDL Worldwide/Publicis Group, Sikelia Productions, Propagate Content and Maruri Group.