Plot, Cast, and Everything We Know So Far

Director Martin Scorsese is most often associated with classic movies about wise guys and gangsters. But with his upcoming film Killers of the Flower Moon, the director is tackling a new genre with his first-ever Western. The film, an adaption of journalist David Grann‘s 2017 nonfiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and The Birth of the FBI, tells the story of at least twenty murdered members of the Osage Tribe in Oklahoma during the 1920s in Oklahoma.

The film rights to Grann’s book were sold in 2016–a year before his book was even published– but it wasn’t until 2021 that filming of the hugely anticipated movie commenced. After a series of directors expressed interest in the project without officially signing on, Martin Scorsese was brought on board. Production was set to begin in March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed filming until mid-2021. Here’s what we know about the project so far.

Related:Martin Scorsese Found “the Key” to ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ By Immersing Himself in the World

Is There a Release Date for Killers of the Flower Moon?

Killers of the Flower Moon is set to release on October 6, 2023.

The film will have its world premiere on May 20, 2023, as its screening out-of-competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Will Killers of the Flower Moon be in Theaters or on Streaming?

Seeing as Apple is involved, you wouldn’t be too out of line to expect the film to be released day-and-date in theaters and on Apple TV+. Fortunately, the tech giant is teaming up with Paramount to give the film an exclusive theatrical release on October 6. The film will now be opening up against Sony’s R-rated Spider-Man spin-off Kraven the Hunter.

As many may recall Netflix distributed Martin Scorsese’s last film, The Irishman, in November 2019, and gave the film a limited theatrical release, a few weeks before it launched on the streaming service. Apple and Paramount look to give Killers of the Flower Moon a much longer theatrical window, and it will likely be much easier to find in theaters than The Irishman was.

Paramount was initially set to distribute the film by themselves, but budgetary concerns led Scorsese and the studio to look to partner up with a streamer, the two top contenders being Netflix and Apple, with the latter ultimately acquiring the film.

Is There a Trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon?

“Can you find the wolves in this picture?”

This is the line of dialogue that Leonardo DiCaprio’s Ernest Burkhart repeats in the first teaser trailer of Killers of the Flower Moon, which Apple TV released on its YouTube channel on May 18, 2023. The teaser trailer runs at just under two minutes and is narrated by DiCaprio, speaking in a southern accent, who tells of the origins of the Osage tribe.

Who Stars in Killers of the Flower Moon?

With Scorsese signed on to direct, he brought some familiar faces on board–most notably, his long-time muses and collaborators on multiple projects, Academy Award winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert de Niro.

There are probably few actor-director collaborations as successful or as famous as that of Scorsese and De Niro, and Killers of the Flower Moon marks their tenth film together (it’s their eleventh project together overall if you include the 2015 short film The Audition). The two have been working together since the 1973 film Mean Streets, and since then have worked together on Taxi Driver, New York, New York, Raging Bull (which landed De Niro his second Best Actor Oscar), The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, and The Irishman.

In Killers of the Flower Moon, de Niro plays William Hale, the villainous cattle rancher suspected of organizing contract hits on wealthy members of the Osage tribe. This film will be the tenth film collaboration between Scorsese and de Niro, and it’s likely to continue their impressive track record.

Scorsese’s collaborations with Leonardo DiCaprio started more recently, beginning in 2002 with Gangs of New York, but their work together is just as prestigious. Killers of the Flower Moon will mark their sixth film together (seventh if you include The Audition), their other films together include The Aviator, The Departed (which earned Scorsese his first Best Director Oscar), Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

In Killers of the Flower Moon, DiCaprio plays Ernest Burkhart, Hale’s nephew who struggles with conflicting loyalties towards his Osage wife and his powerful uncle.

The movie also stars Academy Award nominee Jesse Plemons as FBI agent Tom White. Plemons’ career has been on the rise in the last few years, and he previously worked with Scorsese on The Irishman, where he played Chuckie O’Brien. DiCaprio was initially tapped to play the role of Tom White but ended up switching to play the role of Burkhart instead, prompting Plemons to be cast in the role. Lily Gladstone (First Cow) will play the role of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman and the wife of Ernest Burkhart. Meanwhile, recent Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser (The Whale) continues his impressive acting comeback with his role as lawyer W.S. Hamilton. Academy Award nominee John Lithgow (The World According to Garp) also stars as Prosecutor Leaward who seeks to convict Hale of murder.

Other castmembers include Tantoo Cardinal (Wind River) as Lizzie Q, Cara Jade Myers (This Is Us) as Anna Kyle Brown, JaNae Collins (Reservation Dogs) as Rita, Jillian Dion (Legion) as Minnie, William Belleau (The English) as Henry Roan, Tatanka Means (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials) as John Wren, Louis Cancelmi (The Irishman) as Kelsie Morrison, Michael Abbott Jr. (Mud) as Frank Smith, Pat Healy (Station 19) as John Burger, Scott Shepherd (The Last of Us) as Bryan Burkhart, Jason Isbell (Squidbillies) as Bill Smith, Sturgill Simpson (The Creator) as Henry Grammer, Gary Basaraba (The Irishman) as William J. Burns, Steve Eastin (Con Air) as Judge Pullock, Barry Corbin (Tulsa King) as Undertaker Turton, and Katherine Willis (Friday Night Lights) as Myrtle Hale. Musician Jack White and Larry Fessenden (Bringing Out the Dead) are also on the cast list in undisclosed roles.

Who Is Making Killers of the Flower Moon?

As previously mentioned, Martin Scorsese is directing Killers of the Flower Moon, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker needs no introduction and has one of the most legendary careers in the history of film. Scorsese also co-wrote the script alongside Academy Award winner Eric Roth (Forrest Gump), which is adapted from the novel of the same name by David Grann. In addition to assembling a stellar cast, Scorsese is surrounded by a familiar crew. Known for his laborious editing process, the director continues his long-time association with three-time Academy Award-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker (The Aviator), Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (The Wolf of Wall Street), and Robbie Robertson (The Irishman), who has served as music producer on Scorsese’s films since 1978. Scorsese is also producing the film alongside Dan Friedkin (The Mule), Bradley Thomas (All the Money in the World), and Daniel Lupi (There Will Be Blood). DiCaprio serves as an executive producer alongside Rick Yorn (The Wolf of Wall Street), Adam Somner (West Side Story), Marianne Bower (Silence), Lisa Frechette (Shutter Island), John Atwood (Triangle of Sadness), Shea Kammer (The Good Lord Bird), and Niels Juul (The Irishman).

Determined to work with the Osage Nation for this movie, Scorsese cast indigenous actors as Osage people in the movie and, with the tribe’s permission, filmed scenes on Osage land. The director worked closely with the Osage Tribe’s film ambassador Chad Renfro and the Chief of the Osage Nation, Geoffrey Standing Bear, is a consultant on the film. In February 2021 before filming began, both DiCaprio and Scorsese made a presentation about their intentions toward the story and its themes. Osage Tribe members were given a chance to voice their concerns and DiCaprio asked questions to improve the authenticity of the film.

What’s the Plot of Killers of the Flower Moon?

Killers of the Flower Moon tells the story of the plot to kill nearly sixty members of the Osage tribe from 1921 to 1925. In the latter part of the 19th century, the Osage Indian Tribe of Oklahoma was awarded the right to profit from the huge oil deposits discovered in the land. The tens of millions of dollars that the Osage people made on their own meant that the Osage nation was considered one of the wealthiest nations in the world. The wealth made the federal government nervous enough to appoint Caucasian guardians to “assist” in financial management and caused murderous envy among other communities who hadn’t struck it quite so rich. And by 1921, these bad feelings soon led to violence, when the body of a wealthy Osage woman was found in the woods. By 1925, at least sixty wealthy members of the Osage tribe had died. The FBI became involved in the investigation and was led by Agent Tom White, who uncovers a complex plot by local cattleman William Hale to gain control of the Osage oil. Hale had even convinced his nephew Ernest Burkhart to marry Mollie Kile, a native Osage woman, to improve his claim to the land. It’s probably safe to say that this story of racism, murder, betrayal, and greed will become a gritty and suspenseful film under Scorsese’s direction.

The official plot synopsis for the film via Apple reads:

Based on David Grann’s broadly lauded best-selling book, Killers of the Flower Moon is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.

When and Where Did Killers of the Flower Moon Film?

Filming for Killers of the Flower Moon began in April 2021 in Oklahoma. Scorsese released the following statement in regard to the start of filming:

“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.”

Filming wrapped for the project on October 1, 2021.

Related:Finally, New ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Images Have Arrived

How Long Is Killers of the Flower Moon?

Many of Scorsese’s films have notoriously had epic runtimes, for example, The Irishman ran for 3 hours and 29 minutes (209 minutes) and The Wolf of Wall Street ran for 3 hours (180 minutes). Killers of the Flower Moon will be Scorsese’s second-longest film to date with a runtime of 3 hours and 26 minutes (206 minutes).