The subject of Martin Scorsese conjures up images of raw machismo, cigar smoke, and blazing guns. But the Academy Award-winning director is now trading gangsters for models in a television ad campaign for the sleek and sophisticated house of Chanel.

Scorsese, who directed iconic films like Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York and Goodfellas will be directing the commercial for Chanel’s new men’s scent, to be launched this September 2010. While Andrea D’Avack, President of Chanel Fragrance and Beaute, declined to reveal details about the new cologne (including its name), he did reveal the campaign’s star: French actor Gaspard Ulliel.

Giving a glimpse into the composition of the campaign, D’Avack also revealed to press that Scorsese shot the ads in the midst of a downtown NYC winter, “which is so inherently part of Martin Scorsese’s cinematographic vocabulary.”

It’s not the first time that Chanel has cozied up with celebrity, of course; past pairings include Nicole Kidman, Catherine Deneuve, Audrey Tautou and Marilyn Monroe. But the project with Scorsese holds extra weight with the company. “Chanel works with movie directors because they bring depth, emotion and what we call in French ‘a supplement of soul,’ or an added dimension,” D’Avack explained, citing Scorsese projects Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas. “We knew we would definitely have a man’s world full of complexity that is also adrenaline-driven, and of course, amazing images.”

To tide you over until September shop
Chanel colognes now.