Martin Scorsese wrote the script for Killers of the Flower Moon for two years, but Leonardo DiCaprio asked for an overhaul after he felt dissatisfied with the narrative. He approached the director and voiced out his concerns, and eventually, Scorsese made the proper revisions.
Killers of the Flower Moon is based on the true-to-life story that occurred in the Osage tribe in 1920s Oklahoma. Aside from DiCaprio, the film also stars Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, and Lily Gladstone.
Martin Scorsese Scrapped Original Script After Leonardo DiCaprio Questioned Its Motive
Martin Scorsese spoke with The Irish Times and shared how Leonardo DiCaprio forced him to rework the script for Killers of the Flower Moon that he composed for two years. He initially wanted to bring this “terrible tragedy” out into the world, and he said DiCaprio helped make it happen:
“After two years of working on the script, Leo came to me and asked, ‘Where is the heart of this story?’ 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 premiered at Cannes in May, and the chief of the Osage Nation, Geoffrey Standing Bear, said on stage, “Marty Scorsese has restored trust. And we know that trust will not be betrayed.” It started in 2019 when the director spoke with 300 members of the Oklahoma’s Gray Horse community. He stated:
“I always said if I ever get involved with anything that has to do with indigenous people, I’d better know who the people are or, at least, feel comfortable with them as human beings.”
Scorsese revealed he was nervous upon meeting Chief Standing Bear, and they talked to make sure he was not going to sensationalize the story and take advantage of the situation. The filmmaker said he relied on their knowledge, and he would always write down on paper whenever they shared something with him.
Paramount Pictures Almost Entirely Dropped Killers of the Flower Moon
With a new script, the movie almost did not happen as Martin Scorsese recalled how Paramount Pictures said no to it. In his interview with Wall Street Journal, he revealed the studio told him they would not fund the revamped script:
“The studio said, ‘We backed the other version, we can’t back this one.’”
Paramount apparently preferred the first version, and the expanding budget also forced them to drop the project. It was only after Apple stepped in that Paramount helped in the film distribution.
