Martin Scorsese's upcoming film, Killers of the Flower Moon, is one of the most highly anticipated projects of the next year. Although a release date isn't set in stone, the Leonardo DiCaprio-led film is targeting a debut at Cannes in 2023, according to reports from Deadline. The movie comes from Apple and their streaming service, Apple TV+, the studio behind CODA, the 2022 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture.
Killers of the Flower Moon will undoubtedly contend during the 2023 award season, partly because of its all-star cast. Along with DiCaprio, the film will feature Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Myers, Janae Collins, Jillian Dion, and William Belleau. In addition, Martin Scorsese is a 14-time Oscar Nominee, with one win in 2007 for The Departed. His most recent film, The Irishman, was nominated for Best Achievement in Directing and Best Motion Picture of the Year. This will be the sixth feature-film collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio, with previous work including Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, and the upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon.
The film is adapted from a book by David Grann titled Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. Paramount is partnered with AppleTV+ for the film, allowing for a complete theatrical release. Unfortunately, Cannes 2023 isn't until May, nearly a full year away. However, with the talent and legendary director behind the film, we can expect nothing less than excellence from Killers of the Flower Moon.
Martin Scorsese Says Killers of the Flower Moon is a Western
Martin Scorsese has a vast array of movies under his belt, however, the filmmaker is most known for mafia-style films, including Goodfellas, Casino, and The Irishman. Killers of the Flower Moon will be a new genre for the director, which only excites the industry veteran. Speaking to the French magazine Premiere, Scorsese explained the setting and time period of his forthcoming film.
"We think it's a Western. It happened in 1921-1922 in Oklahoma. There are certainly cowboys, but they have cars and also horses. 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. Then 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 story of the Osage tribe and the atrocities in Oklahoma will be a fascinating and dark period to dissect for Scorsese. The director will be sure to handle the subject matter with care while hopefully crafting an extraordinary film in the process. Look out for Killers of the Flower Moon following its debut at Cannes in 2023.