Martin Scorsese’s latest film Killers of the Flower Moon is moving forward with a star-studded cast as well as members of the Osage Nation. With all of the hard work and dedication that's been put into this movie, no wonder it has a reported runtime of almost four hours. As Killers of the Flower Moon is based on the non-fiction book of the same name, author David Grann got to visit the set where he felt “pretty overwhelmed” being in the presence of Scorsese and the film’s star Leo DiCaprio.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have officially reunited to film Killers of the Flower Moon, about the Oklahoma murders that occurred within the Osage Nation in the 1920s after oil was discovered on their land. Adapted from David Grann’s non-fiction book, this author told Vanity Fair he was “pretty overwhelmed” that of all people to bring his esteemed work to life would be an Oscar-winning director such as Scorsese.
Definitely not one of those things you include in one’s possibilities of a life and career, that when your book will get adapted into a movie it’s going to be adapted by a master director like Scorsese. Pretty overwhelmed by that. With something like Killers of the Flower Moon, which deals with such an important issue, and issues of social injustice, it’s a different kind of project in terms of sensitivity.
Some of Martin Scorsese’s best movies were based on pieces of history like The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Aviator. So the acclaimed director seemed like the perfect fit for this project. David Grann said in his interview that he felt the mysterious murders within the Osage Nation were one of the worst moments of racial injustice in history. Yet it’s a piece of history that hasn’t been taught in schools. Luckily, we have authors like Grann willing to use literature to explore the gaps that exist in history.
One of the many perks that come with having A-list stars adapting your book is being able to visit the film’s set. And yes, David Grann was one of those authors who did so and felt very pleased with what he saw.
Yes, and I will say I did visit the set for a few days. And I was, again, just really impressed by how they managed to bring these historical figures to life and capture the hidden truths about the story. Leo just seemed to just be able to capture the nature of Ernest Burkhart, and the level of complicity of his character, and this evil system. And Lily Gladstone brings Mollie to life with such sensitivity and emotional power, at least in the bits I saw. [Robert] De Niro too. What I was struck by from Scorsese to the actors was the level of commitment and how much research they did to understand the parts and understand the history.
It’s always very important when making a historical film to be as accurate as possible. Cinematic history has shown in the past that films based on historical periods like 10,000 BC and Alexander could receive harsh reactions from historians watching if inaccuracy follows scene-to-scene, lowering a film’s overall praise, box office, and credibility. Luckily, we shouldn’t have to worry about that for Scorsese’s Western crime drama. Grann reported that Scorsese used accuracy to a T from the costume design, filming in Osage county, and having Osage-language experts consult with the actors in getting the Osage dialogue right. Something to know about Killers of the Flower Moon is that the Taxi Driver director has made sure to accurately depict the Osage Nation by working with advisors from the community and engaging in discussions with several of its members.
David Grann also pointed out that Martin Scorsese put as much research into Killers of the Flower Moon as Grann did in writing his book. He was thoroughly impressed with Scorsese and his actors behaving as “historians” for the project.
They just seemed voracious, a little bit like historians, in their search for any knowledge, transcripts, documents, speaking to descendants, speaking with members of the Osage Nation.
Having the Killers of the Flower Moon author David Grann be able to visit the set of the upcoming movie should provide him with a sense of relief that the Osage Nation will be accurately represented. With Osage chief Geoffrey Standing Bear as one of the many movie ambassadors from the Nation helping to develop the story and being able to film on location will allow this movie to represent a piece of history audiences will be talking about for a long time. This 2023 movie release hits wide release in theaters on October 20th before streaming globally on your Apple TV+ subscription.
