New Leonardo DiCaprio Film Killers Of The Flower Moon Is A "Different Movie" After Osage Nation Input

Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro and directed by Martin Scorsese, is one of 2023's most anticipated movies. The film tells the story of the Reign of Terror in the 1920s when members of the Osage Nation were murdered one by one after huge deposits of oil were discovered under their land. The movie changed significantly over the course of its production due to the input of local Osage Nation members, star Lily Gladstone says.

Speaking to Variety, Gladstone said Scorsese worked closely to members of the Osage Nation, with chief Geoffrey Standing Bear serving as a consultant on the film. The film was shot on location in Oklahoma.

"The work is better when you let the world inform the work," Gladstone said. "That was very refreshing how involved the production got with the [Osage Nation] community. As the community warmed up to our presence, the more the community got involved with the film. It's a different movie than the one [Scorsese] walked in to make almost entirely because of what the community had to say about how it was being made and what was being portrayed."

Gladstone plays Mollie Burkhart, the wife of Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Ernest Burkhart. De Niro portrays William Hale and Jesse Plemons plays Tom White. The movie is based on David Grann's nonfiction novel about the murders and how the case led to the formation of the FBI.

Killers of the Flower Moon is being made for Apple TV+ and is expected to debut in 2023, though a release date hasn't been announced yet. It's Scorsese's first movie since 2019's The Irishman for Netflix.