When it comes to Fall 2023 theatrical releases, none may be more anticipated than Martin Scorsese‘s “Killers Of The Flower Moon.” Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann‘s 2017 book of the same name already premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to much acclaim. But as the film approaches its October theatrical release, EW reports that the director wants to emphasize how different his movie is from Grann’s book despite following the same historical events.
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Scorsese’s latest movie centers on the Osage murders, a series of serial killings targeting oil-rich Native Americans living in the Oklahoma region in the 1920s. The murders prompted an investigation led by J. Edgar Hoover and former Texas Ranger Tom White that ultimately led to the inception of the FBI. And that was what Scorsese planned to center his movie around until the director realized that meant focusing on the wrong story. “After a certain point, I realized I was making a movie about all the white guys,” Scorsese explained to Time Magazine. “Meaning I was taking the approach from the outside in, which concerned me.”
Scorsese’s realization prompted him to shift his film’s focus, and recast star Leonardo DiCaprio in another role entirely. Instead of playing White, DiCpario instead plays Ernest Burkhart, husband of Lily Gladstone‘s Burkhart, a member of one of the Indigenous families targeted by the murders. Ernest and Mollie’s relationship is the central drama in Scorsese’s film, with White (now played by Jesse Plemons) relegated to a minor role in the proceedings.
And Gladstone believes that Scorsese made the right choice in shifting the perspective of his film. “It’s not a white-savior story,” Gladstone said about “Killers of the Flower Moon” in a recent New York Magazine interview. “It’s the Osage saying, ‘Do something. Here’s money. Come help us.'” In the interview, the actress juxtaposed Scorsese’s take on Western iconography with Taylor Sheridan‘s popular TV series “Yellowstone,” citing that the genre focuses too much on white characters, calling the show “delusional” and “deplorable.” She also advocated for telling more Indigenous stories in popular culture, preferably by Indigenous storytellers. “You want to have more Natives writing Native stories,” said Gladstone. “You also want the masters to pay attention to what’s going on. American history is not history without Native history.”
Scorsese tried to assimilate an Indigenous character into his new picture’s production as much as possible. He shot “Killers Of The Flower Moon” in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, close to where the real Osage murders happened. And Osage descendants worked on the film, including consulting producer Chad Renfro. “Marty made a story of trust and betrayal… over hundreds of years of dealing with governmental agencies, and people who came in and took advantage of us,” Renfro told Time. “The first day of filming, we had an elder, Archie Mason, come and say a prayer,” he continued. Renfro also mentioned that Scorsese’s production team worked closely with Osage leaders like Osage Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear while filming.
“Killers Of The Flower Moon” hits theaters on October 20, from Apple Original Films. Afterward, it will stream on Apple TV+ exclusively, premiere date to be announced. Watch the new trailer for Scorsese’s new film below.
