''Killers of the Flower Moon'' is an upcoming American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

film directed by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

and with a screenplay by

Eric Roth Eric R. Roth (born March 22, 1945) is an American screenwriter. He has been nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay — for ''Forrest Gump'' (1994), '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Munich'' (2005), '' The Curious Case o ...

and Scorsese, based on the best-selling 2017 non-fiction book '' Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI'' by

David Grann David Elliot Grann (born March 10, 1967) is an American journalist, a staff writer for ''The New Yorker'' magazine, and a best-selling author. His first book, '' The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon,'' was published by D ...

, which is based on the series of 1920s Oklahoma murders in the

Osage Nation The Osage Nation ( ) ( Osage: 𐓁𐒻 𐓂𐒼𐒰𐓇𐒼𐒰͘ ('), "People of the Middle Waters") is a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Great Plains. The tribe developed in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 700 BC along ...

committed after oil was discovered on tribal land. Leonardo DiCaprio, who also serves as producer, stars alongside

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

Jesse Plemons Jesse Plemons (; born April 2, 1988) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and achieved a career breakthrough with his major role as Landry Clarke in the NBC drama series '' Friday Night Lights'' (2006–2011). He subseque ...

Lily Gladstone Lily Gladstone (born August 2, 1986) is an American actress. Biography Raised in Browning, Montana, Gladstone is of Blackfeet and Nimíipuu heritage. Gladstone is also a distant relative of British Prime Minister William Gladstone. After gradu ...

, and

Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor known for his leading roles in blockbusters, comedies, and dramatic films. Having graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts in 1990, he made his film debut in '' ...

. The film marks the seventh collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio as well as the eleventh collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro. The film is produced by Scorsese's

Sikelia Productions Sikelia Productions, formerly known as Cappa Productions and Cappa Films, is an American film production company established by Martin Scorsese in 1989. It has produced over 40 different television shows, documentaries, and films. Some of the mos ...

and DiCaprio's

Appian Way Productions Appian Way Productions is a Los Angeles based film and television production company founded in 2001 by actor and producer Leonardo DiCaprio. Jennifer Davisson serves as President of Production. Since its launch, Appian Way has released a diver ...

and distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

and

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

. The $200 million budget is reportedly the largest amount ever spent on a film shot in Oklahoma.

Premise

Members of the

Osage tribe The Osage Nation ( ) ( Osage: 𐓁𐒻 𐓂𐒼𐒰𐓇𐒼𐒰͘ ('), "People of the Middle Waters") is a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Great Plains. The tribe developed in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 700 BC along ...

in northeastern Oklahoma are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major FBI investigation directed by a 29-year-old

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation � ...

and former Texas Ranger Tom White, described by Grann as "an old-style lawman."

Cast

Production

Development

On March 10, 2016, Imperative Entertainment won the bidding war to make a film adaptation of

's nonfiction book ''

Killers of the Flower Moon ''Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI'' is the third non-fiction book by the American journalist David Grann. The book was released on April 18, 2017 by Doubleday. ''Time'' magazine listed ''Killers of the Fl ...

'' and paid $5 million; the studio's

Dan Friedkin Thomas Dan Friedkin (born 1965) is an American billionaire businessman, heir and film director. He is the owner and CEO of The Friedkin Group and its subsidiary Gulf States Toyota, which was founded by his father, Thomas H. Friedkin. He is als ...

and Bradley Thomas would produce the film. In April 2017, it was revealed that

, Leonardo DiCaprio and

were considering involvement in the film, adapted by

. In July 2017, production designer

Dante Ferretti Dante Ferretti (, born 26 February 1943) is an Italian production designer, art director, and costume designer. Biography Throughout his career, Ferretti has worked with many acclaimed directors, both American and Italian, including; Pier Paolo ...

revealed that filming would begin in early 2018, with Scorsese directing and DiCaprio starring. However, production stalled until October 2018, when it was announced that the film would be Scorsese's next effort after completing ''

The Irishman ''The Irishman'' (subtitled onscreen as ''I Heard You Paint Houses'') is a 2019 American epic gangster film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese and written by Steven Zaillian, based on the 2004 nonfiction book '' I Heard You Paint Hou ...

'' (2019). At that point, filming was due to begin in the summer of 2019.

Pre-production

In June 2019, it was announced that

would distribute the film. On July 26, 2019, Scorsese traveled to the Osage Nation in

Pawhuska, Oklahoma Pawhuska ( osa, 𐓄𐓘𐓢𐓶𐓮𐓤𐓘 / hpahúska, ''meaning: "White Hair"'', iow, Paháhga) is a city in and the county seat of Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named after the 19th-century Osage chief, ''Paw-Hiu-Skah'', wh ...

to meet with Principal Chief

Geoffrey Standing Bear Geoffrey M. Standing Bear (Osage) is an attorney and politician who has served as Principal Chief of the Osage Nation since 2014. Early life and education Chief Standing Bear was born into the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. He attended Bishop Kelley ...

to discuss how the

could be involved with the film's production. Days later, it was reported that De Niro had joined the cast with filming tentatively set to commence in the summer of 2020. In December 2019, Scorsese's

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

Rodrigo Prieto Rodrigo Prieto, American Society of Cinematographers, ASC, AMC (born November 23, 1965), is a Mexican cinematographer. He has been closely associated as cinematographer for Martin Scorsese and Alejandro González Iñárritu, among other directo ...

confirmed that the film was expected to start principal photography in March 2020, adding that the "look and feel of the film" was still being figured out. At the

26th Screen Actors Guild Awards The 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring the best achievements in film and television performances for the year 2019, were presented on January 19, 2020 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was broadcast l ...

on January 19, 2020, DiCaprio officially announced that he and De Niro will star in the film. In April 2020, it was announced that the filming of ''Killers of the Flower Moon'' had been postponed indefinitely in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Meanwhile, Scorsese had reached out to

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

and

to finance and distribute the film, as Paramount had concerns about the film's budget reaching $200 million. Paramount was still open to a deal to be involved with the film alongside an additional partner. In May 2020, Apple TV+ was announced to co-finance and co-distribute the film, with Paramount remaining as distributor. In February 2021,

and

were added to the cast. Though the role of Tom White, the lead FBI agent, was initially written for DiCaprio, DiCaprio pushed to instead portray the nephew of the film's primary antagonist played by De Niro. As a result, it was reported that Jesse Plemons was cast as Tom White to replace DiCaprio, while DiCaprio was cast as Ernest Burkhart. In March,

Tantoo Cardinal Tantoo Cardinal CM (born Rose Marie Cardinal; July 20, 1950) is a Canadian actress of Cree and Métis heritage. In 2009, she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing ar ...

, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins and Jillian Dion were added to the cast. William Belleau,

Louis Cancelmi Louis Cancelmi (pronounced ; born June 9, 1978) is an American stage and film actor. He is a frequent performer in productions by the Public Theater, both at their Astor Library home and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. He is best known ...

Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...

Sturgill Simpson John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of February 2022, he has released seven albums as a solo artist. His first two albums, '' High Top Mountain'' and '' Metamodern Sounds in Cou ...

Tatanka Means Tatanka Wanbli Sapa Xila Sabe Means (born February 19, 1985) is a Native American activist, actor, boxer, comedian, and entrepreneur of Oglala Lakota, Omaha, Yankton Dakota and Diné descent. He is best known for his roles in ''Saints & Stranger ...

, Michael Abbott Jr.,

Pat Healy Patrick Healy, Pat Healy, Patrick Healey or Pat Healey may refer to: * Felix Healy (Patrick Joseph Healy, born 1955), former Northern Irish football player and manager * Pat Healy (actor) (born 1971), American actor, writer, and director * Pat H ...

, and Scott Shepherd joined in April. In April 2021,

Jack Fisk Jack Fisk (born December 19, 1945) is an American production designer and director. As a production designer, he is known for his collaborations with Terrence Malick, designing all of his first eight films including ''Badlands'' (1973), ''Days o ...

signed on as production designer for the film, marking the first collaboration between the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

nominee and Martin Scorsese. In June,

Steve Eastin Steve Eastin (born June 22, 1948) is an American character actor. He has appeared in nearly 150 television and film roles throughout his decades long career. Early life and education Eastin was born in Colorado, where he began to study acting a ...

Gary Basaraba Gary Basaraba (born March 16, 1959) is a Canadian actor. He appeared as Sergeant Richard Santoro on Steven Bochco's ''Brooklyn South'' and Officer Ray Hechler on the critically acclaimed but short-lived ''Boomtown''. He has worked for Martin ...

and

Barry Corbin Leonard Barrie Corbin (born October 16, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Maurice Minnifield on the television series ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), which earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award ...

joined the cast. In August 2021, it was announced that

and

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

had been added to the cast.

Filming

''Killers of the Flower Moon'' was expected to begin production in February 2021 in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. Principal photography ultimately began on April 19, 2021, with filming taking place in Osage County and Washington County, namely

Pawhuska Pawhuska ( osa, 𐓄𐓘𐓢𐓶𐓮𐓤𐓘 / hpahúska, ''meaning: "White Hair"'', iow, Paháhga) is a city in and the county seat of Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named after the 19th-century Osage chief, ''Paw-Hiu-Skah'', ...

, Fairfax and

Bartlesville Bartlesville is a city mostly in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 37,290 at the 2020 census. Bartlesville is north of Tulsa and south of the Kansas border. It is the county seat of Washington County. The Can ...

. In a news release before the beginning of filming, Scorsese said: "We are thrilled to finally start production on ''Killers of the Flower Moon'' in Oklahoma. To be able to tell this story on the land where these events took place is incredibly important and critical to allowing us to portray an accurate depiction of the time and people. We're grateful to Apple, the Oklahoma Film and Music Office and The Osage Nation, especially all our Osage consultants and cultural advisors, as we prepare for this shoot. We're excited to start working with our local cast and crew to bring this story to life on screen and immortalize a time in American history that should not be forgotten." On May 13, De Niro suffered a

quadriceps muscle The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

leg injury off-set and returned to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

for medical attention; production was not delayed, as De Niro's subsequent scenes would be filmed in June 2021. Filming wrapped on October 1, 2021. On March 25, 2022, Osage Nation Principal Chief

told the Tulsa Press Club "he was advised ''Killers of the Flower Moon'' is tentatively slated to film additional scenes of a traditional community dance in mid-May in Osage County." Gladstone claimed in January 2023 that the input of the Osage Nation greatly changed the film from what Scorsese had originally envisioned and that their collaboration had positively impacted the film, stating in an interview at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival that "The work is better when you let the world inform your work".

Music

Frequent Scorsese collaborator

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel in ...

of The Band composed the score.

Release

The film had been originally slated for 2022. Though in July 2022, it was stated that the film wasn’t ready, and was delayed to 2023. As of now, ''Killers of the Flower Moon'' is expected to make its premiere at a film festival in 2023. The film is distributed digitally by

Apple Studios Apple Studios is an American film and television production company and a distributor that is a subsidiary of Apple Inc. It specializes in developing and producing television series and films for Apple's digital video streaming service Apple TV ...

in co-distribution with

References

External links

* {{Apple TV+ Upcoming films 2023 films 2023 drama films 2023 Western (genre) films 2020s American films 2020s crime drama films 2020s English-language films American crime drama films American films based on actual events American Western (genre) films Appian Way Productions films Apple TV+ original films Crime films based on actual events Drama films based on actual events Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Martin Scorsese Films produced by Leonardo DiCaprio Films produced by Martin Scorsese Films scored by Robbie Robertson Films set in Oklahoma Films set in the 1920s Films shot in Oklahoma Films with screenplays by Eric Roth Films with screenplays by Martin Scorsese Paramount Pictures films Upcoming English-language films Western (genre) films based on actual events