After helming the three-and-a-half-hour giant that is The Irishman, Martin Scorsese is already in pre-production on his next big-budget epic: Killers of the Flower Moon, adapted from the non-fiction book of the same name (subtitled The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI) by David Grann.
In fact, the movie would already be in production if it wasn’t for the COVID-19 pandemic. The renowned Raging Bull director is eager to get cameras rolling on this movie, but only time will tell when exactly filming can begin. Details about Killers of the Flower Moon are scarce as of yet, but there are a few interesting things we do know about Scorsese’s next project. Here’s everything we know so far about Scrosese’s next work.
It’ll Star Leonardo DiCaprio & Robert De Niro
Martin Scorsese is finally teaming up his two go-to leading men, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, on the big screen for Killers of the Flower Moon.
While DiCaprio and De Niro have never appeared alongside each other in a Scorsese movie (not counting their ad/short film The Audion that was made for the Studio City Macau Resort and Casino), they have starred in a movie together before: 1993’s This Boy’s Life. And funnily enough, it was after making that movie that De Niro introduced Scorsese to a young DiCaprio in the first place!
It’s About A Series Of Murders In The 1920’s
The true story of Killers of the Flower Moon took place in the 1920’s, when a number of wealthy members of the Osage Nation, a Native American tribe, who discovered huge oil deposits underneath their land were murdered.
Scorsese’s movie adaptation will tell the story of the FBI’s investigation into the murders. It’s been described as the director’s first Western, although that genre classification seems to be pretty loose given the time period, among other things. Scorsese’s works have always included references to Westerns, from Shane to Red River, so it’ll be interest to see him finally put his stamp on the genre.
Rodrigo Prieto Is Behind The Camera
Scorsese has recruited cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, the three-time Oscar nominee behind the gorgeous imagery found in Biutiful, 8 Mile, and Brokeback Mountain, to shoot Killers of the Flower Moon.
Prieto became Scorsese’s go-to cinematographer after his impeccable work on The Wolf of Wall Street, subsequently lensing other recent Scorsese works such as Silence and The Irishman.
Production Has Been Delayed Due To The COVID-19 Pandemic
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has delayed production on Killers of the Flower Moon. According to cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, the cameras were supposed to start rolling in March, but shooting had to be postponed.
There hasn’t been an official date set for when shooting will begin but if the situation normalizes, it’s projected to take place next February.
Eric Roth Wrote The Screenplay
The screenplay adaptation of David Grann’s non-fiction source material has been written by Eric Roth, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Forrest Gump.
In more recent years, Roth has worked on Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming re-adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune and co-penned the script for Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born with Will Fetters and Cooper himself.
The Budget Is A Whopping $200 Million
After spending a reported $250 million on The Irishman (although some reports have the figure as low as $159 million), Scorsese is demanding a whopping $200 million to realize his vision for Killers of the Flower Moon.
When the budget skyrocketed to this size, Scorsese entered talks with both Netflix and Apple about cutting a deal over the streaming rights to the movie.
It’ll Stream On Apple TV+, But It’ll Also Be Released In Theaters
Scorsese has reached a deal with Apple to cover the costs of production and also distribute the movie when it’s done. As a result, it’ll stream on Apple TV+, but it’ll also be released in theaters.
Netflix’s theatrical release for The Irishman was pretty limited to say the least, but Apple is apparently committed to getting Killers of the Flower Moon played on the big screen, as they’ve handed theatrical distribution duties over to Paramount.
Dante Ferretti Is Designing The Sets
Legendary Italian production designer Dante Ferretti, who has three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction to his name, has been tapped to design the sets for Killers of the Flower Moon.
Ferretti has done the production design for some of Scorsese’s most extravagant, cerebral, romantic movies – including Hugo, Kundun, and The Age of Innocence – so Killers of the Flower Moon will likely be a feast for the eyes.
Shooting Will Take Place In Oklahoma
Unsurprisingly, a movie that takes place in Osage County, Oklahoma, is slated to be filmed in Osage County, Oklahoma. The shoot will last for an estimated 16 weeks.
Given the movie’s historical relevance, it was only fitting that the Osage Nation would play a part in the film’s creation. To this effect, the Osage Nation’s official ambassadors for film production — Chad Renfro and Addie Roanhorse — will oversee the crew’s time in Oklahoma.
It’s Been In Development Since 2017
David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon was first published by Doubleday on April 18, 2017, and by July of the same year, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio were already circling an adaptation of it. However, this was around the same time that the incredibly ambitious production of The Irishman started to come together with Netflix offering up the gigantic budget necessary to bring it to life.
Scorsese initially considered shooting The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon back-to-back before deciding to focus solely on the former before moving on to the latter.
