A major REWRITE was required on Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese has confirmed that he completely changed the major narrative of Killers of the Flower Moon during the writing process.

The historical epic is directed by Scorsese and features an all-star cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Brendan Fraser, Jesse Plemons and John Lithgow.

What are the top 10 most popular shows on Amazon Prime right now?

Tuesday 10 February 2026, 14:38

What are the top 10 most popular shows on Netflix right now?

Monday 9 February 2026, 15:27

It is based on the non-fiction novel Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI written by David Grann. 

The official premise reads:

'Members of the Osage tribe in northeastern Oklahoma are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major BOI investigation directed by a 29-year-old J. Edgar Hoover and former Texas Ranger Tom White, described by Grann as "an old-style lawman."'

READ MORE: Top 10 HIGHEST GROSSING R-rated films of all time

Within the novel, the narrative is focused more on the FBI investigators rather than the murdered Native American victims, and Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth felt it necessary to flip the stories around to highlight the plight of the tribe.

"After a certain point, I realised I was making a movie about all the white guys. Meaning I was taking the approach from the outside in, which concerned me," he told Time Magazine.

Originally, DiCaprio was meant to play Texas Ranger Tom White, but Scorsese made the decision to give that role to Plemons, while DiCaprio was cast as Ernest Burkhart, with the narrative focus switching to his relationship with his wife, Mollie, played by Lily Gladstone.

Killers of the Flower Moon has already had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May and received acclaim as well as a long standing ovation. It will be theatrically released in cinemas in October of 2023 before featuring on Apple TV+.

The movie will be Scorsese and Di Caprio's sixth movie collaboration after Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street.

It is the tenth collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro after Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, New York New York, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino and The Irishman.