Martin Scorsese's upcoming western crime drama, Killers of the Flower Moon, finished filming in late 2021. This means that the movie is the closest it’s been to being released ever since the rights were bought way back in 2016. It’s based on a non-fiction book of the same name that wasn’t even published until a year after those rights were purchased. In turn, there’s been a high demand for the movie, and its release this year is greatly anticipated.
Even amidst several delays due to other film projects and the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie was never completely pushed aside after the initial filming plans for March 2020 were canceled. Though the film changed directors several times before finally settling on Martin Scorsese, it has an all-star cast and even sought help from the Osage tribe, the Indigenous American tribe featured in the book. The movie is now one of the most anticipated movies of 2023. Here’s a look at everything we know so far about the latest film from Martin Scorsese.
Update September 26, 2023: This article has been updated by Jessica Peerez with more recent developments about Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Plot
With two trailers released for Killers of the Flower Moon and the film being based on a non-fiction book, we have more than a rough idea of the plot of the film. The first official trailer for the movie was released in July 2023, and the second trailer followed in September 2023. Both trailers depict Ernest Burkhart's connection to the Osage people through marriage and also his loyalty to his uncle William Hale.
It is made clear that the marriage occurred with an ulterior motive: a plan to tie the two families together so that the estate money would flow from the Osage people to the white settlers. The trailers also give viewers insight into the brutal murders and atrocities committed against the Osage people. "The Osage, their time is over. We've got to take back control of our home," says William Hale in the second trailer before the camera cuts to a scene where guns are being shot, depicting the violence that was carried out against the Osage people.
Since Killers of the Flower Moon is based on a non-fiction book, it's certain the two share a similar plot derived from a very true but often forgotten piece of American history. In the early 1920s, vast oil deposits were discovered beneath the Osage people’s land, an otherwise infertile and desolate area they were actually forced to migrate to after white Americans pushed them off their original land. Courts awarded the Osage people the right to the profits made from the oil on their land, and "they made so much oil money that the government began appointing white guardians to 'help' them spend it," according to the book and National Public Radio.
As members of the profitable oil community began to lose money to the Osage tribe, a murderous conspiracy developed that ignored the fact that the Indigenous Americans were legal owners of the land and its profits. Entire communities developed a scheme to kill and rob the new wealth of the Osage people. The newly-created FBI proceeded to go undercover and investigate the more than 24 murders in a risky, gradual process.
While the film will undoubtedly play the line between fiction and reality, Killers of the Flower Moon intends to be as true to historical facts as possible. In this way, the film will bring one of the most gruesome episodes in recent history closer to new generations so that they learn from it and avoid repeating it.
In a world that moves through money, it never hurts to remember the tragedy that can happen if ambition and greed bring out the worst in a person. After all, the human being is capable of the worst when it comes to power and money. Killers of the Flower Moon and the past the movie reveals are living proof of that.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Cast
Scorsese has brought some faces familiar to him onto the set of Killers of the Flower Moon. Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio will be taking on the role of Ernest Burkhart, with Lily Gladstone playing the role of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman and Ernest's wife. The marriage between Ernest and Mollie will be quite tumultuous, given that Mollie is of Osage origin and Ernest is the nephew of the powerful cattle rancher William Hale, who is thought to have organized hits on wealthy members of the Osage tribe.
Another Academy Award winner and one of Scorsese's longtime collaborators and muses, Robert De Niro, will also be joining the cast of the film. This will be De Niro's 10th film (11th project overall) with Scorsese. The actor will play William Hale, the uncle of Ernest and cattle rancher. Jesse Plemons will also be a part of the cast as FBI agent Tom White.
Other cast members joining these stars include Michael Abbott Jr., Gary Basaraba, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Tantoo Cardinal, JaNae Collins, Barry Corbin, Jillian Dion, Steve Eastin, Brendan Fraser -- returning to the big leagues of cinema --, Pat Healy, Jason Isbell, Tatanka Means, Cara Jade Myers, John Lithgow, Scott Shepherd, and singer Sturgill Simpson.
Working With the Osage Tribe
Scorsese has worked hand-in-hand with the Osage tribe to bring about a proper tribute to what is sometimes referred to as the “Osage reign of terror.” Thanks to their collaboration, the movie should have accurate depictions of what actually happened to these people.
Killers of the Flower Moon was also primarily shot on Osage grounds so that the background would stay true to the origins. With the inclusion of indigenous cast members, it looks like Scorsese was trying not to miss a single detail when casting and filming. The commitment by Scorsese to stay true to the Osage people was much appreciated by the people themselves. Osage leader, Chief Standing Bear, speaking at the Cannes press conference, said:
"Early on, I asked Mr. Scorsese, how are you going to approach the story? And he said I'm going to tell a story about trust. Trust, trust between Mollie and Ernest, trust between the outside world and the Osage and the betrayal of that trust, deep betrayal. And my people suffered greatly and to this day, this very day, those effects are with us, but I can stay on behalf of the Osage, Martin Scorsese and his team have restored trust and we know that trust will not be betrayed."
Release Date
Killers of the Flower Moon was initially set to be released sometime in 2022. However, the release date was then pushed back to 2023. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2023, and was met with extremely positive reviews. It has now become one of the front runners for the upcoming Academy Awards.
The film was originally scheduled for a limited release on October 6, 2023, before it would go into wide release in the following weeks. However, it was later confirmed that Killers of the Flower Moon will have a theatrical release across North America on October 20, 2023. Since Paramount has paired up with Apple for distribution, the film may also be made available on Apple TV+ after it has exhausted its theatrical window. The film will reportedly be Scorsese's second-longest film, having a total runtime of 3 hours and 26 minutes.