Is it too early to start calling next year's Oscar frontrunners? A serious Best Picture contender has emerged in the form of Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese. And it's got a theatrical release pencilled in for this October.
As if needed spelling out, Scorsese is the revered filmmaker behind the likes of Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and, more recently, The Irishman. He's now adapted David Grann's riveting book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, which recounts a horrifying true story.
Scorsese muses Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro are among the big names in this story of the Oklahoma Osage nation and the mysterious spate of deaths that blighted their oil-rich land in the early 20th century. Such was the scale of the conspiracy that special agents from the fledgling Federal Bureau of Investigation were drafted to solve it, blowing apart a jaw-dropping story of corruption, greed and latent evil.
With a $200 million budget, a reported three-hour and 20-minute run-time, and a sublime cast that also includes Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow and Lily Gladstone, this is evidently Scorsese painting on an epic scale. Forrest Gump screenwriter Eric Roth has adapted Grann's acclaimed book, adding to the film's pedigree.
Killers of the Flower Moon has landed a prestigious slot at this year's Cannes Film Festival, which may well point toward its eventual Oscar prospects. Indeed, DiCaprio has described the movie as "a masterpiece", as recounted by the movie's costume designer Jacqueline West. To reiterate, the movie is set for an October 2023 release in the UK via Paramount, although an exact UK date is to be confirmed.
More details as we get them. Will this be another Scorsese masterpiece? Let us know @Cineworld.
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