Martin Scorsese has revealed that Leonardo DiCaprio helped convince him to completely change the script for Killers of the Flower Moon.
The new historical epic is directed by Scorsese and features an all-star cast including DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Brendan Fraser, Jesse Plemons and John Lithgow.
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."'
Within the book, 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.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
The 1920s, Oklahoma. Members of the Osage tribe are murdered under mysterious circumstances. After the death toll continues to rise, the newly formed FBI takes on the case. The case will lead to one of the largest crime cases in American history.
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone
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.
Apparently, it was a conversation with DiCaprio that urged Scorsese to make the narrative change.
“Leo came to me and asked, ‘Where is the heart of this story?’" the iconic filmmaker recalled to The Irish Times.
"I had had meetings and dinners with the Osage, and I thought, Well, there’s the story. The real story, we felt, was not necessarily coming from the outside, with the bureau, but rather from the inside, from Oklahoma.”
Killers of the Flower Moon will be released worldwide in cinemas this week.
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