Never one to take a break, Martin Scorsese is gearing up for another major production with Killers Of The Flower Moon. The veteran director is well on his way with a brand new western following his Netflix mob movie The Irishman.
The project has been in development since 2017 and marks a sharp departure from Scorsese’s brand of mob movies, although he did once call Gangs Of New York “a western set on Mars”.
Ahead of the upcoming release, we’ve gathered all available information about what’s set to be another stone-cold classic.
Recent Updates:
- John Lithgow is added to the cast
- A first-look image of Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone has been released
- Scorsese has now starting shooting the eagerly-anticipated film
Killers Of The Flower Moon release date: when is the film in cinemas?
We’re not sure as yet. The film will be released via Apple TV+, which is good news in terms of a streaming release, but no dates have been confirmed just yet.
On April 19, ‘The Oklahoma Film & Music Office’ and Apple jointly announced that filming on the project had begun.
“We are thrilled to finally start production on ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ in Oklahoma,” Scorsese said in a statement.
He added: “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.
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“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 immortalise a time in American history that should not be forgotten.”
Is there a trailer yet?
Not yet – but we’ll keep you posted as soon as anything drops.
How about any images?
There is indeed! Take a look at Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone as Ernest Burkhart and Mollie Kyle in Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Killers Of The Flower Moon cast: who is in it?
Marty will be reuniting with two of his long-time collaborators for this one. Robert De Niro, who led The Irishman as Frank Sheeran, will play powerful rancher William Hale in Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Opposite him will be Leonardo DiCaprio playing his nephew Ernest Burkhart. The actor last collaborated with Scorsese on The Wolf Of Wall Street, Shutter Island and The Aviator, among others.
Lily Gladstone (Certain Women) has been cast as Mollie Burkhart, Ernest’s wife, while Jesse Plemons will be playing the lead FBI agent investigating the serial murder of embers of the Osage Nation, Deadline has confirmed.
John Lithgow, known for films and shows including Terms Of Endearment and 3rd Rock From The Sun, will play Prosecutor Leaward, Deadline also confirmed in August 2021.
Scorsese previously said the rest of the cast will be Native American actors.
Killers Of The Flower Moon plot: what is the new film about?
Scorsese’s new film will take stock of author David Grann’s non-fiction book of the same name, investigating the murders of wealthy Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma, which came to be known as the “Reign of Terror”.
The filmmaker has shared more details for the film, officially dubbing it his first Western. In an interview with Premiere, Scorsese delved into more plot details.
”We think it’s a Western,” he said. “It happened in 1921-1922 in Oklahoma.”
”There are certainly cowboys, but they have cars and also horses, the director continued. “The film is mainly about the Osage, an Indian tribe that was given horrible territory, which they loved because they said to themselves that Whites would never be interested in it.”
Delving further into the lands of his next project, Scorsese explained: ”We discovered oil there and, for about ten years, the Osage became the richest people in the world, per capita. Then, as with the Yukon and the Colorado mining regions, the vultures disembark, the white man, the European arrives, and all was lost.
”There, the underworld had such control over everything that you were more likely to go to jail for killing a dog than for killing an Indian.
”The history of civilisation goes back to Mesopotamia. The Hittites are invaded by another people, they disappear, and later it is said that they have been assimilated or, rather, absorbed.
”It is fascinating to see this mentality which is reproduced in other cultures, through two World Wars. And which is therefore timeless, I think. This is the film that we are going to try to make.”