Martin Scorsese unveiled Thursday the first images of Killers of the Flower Moon at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, his new dark western scheduled for October 18, 2023 in theaters, in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays a serial killer targeting Native Americans in Oklahoma to appropriate their oil. Set in the 1920s, this feature film traces the woes of the Osage tribe, holders of a land rich in black gold and suddenly the victim of mysterious murders and disappearances.
The trailer, shown during the High Mass of Movie Theater Owners in Las Vegas, features Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart. This man in love with a Native American (actress Lily Gladstone) finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy hatched by cattle tycoon William Hale, played by an oil-hungry Robert De Niro.
The film thus allows Martin Scorsese, 80, to associate two of his favorite actors for the first time. A duo investigated by an FBI agent in charge of elucidating the murders, played by Jesse Plemons. With this love story tarnished by greed, the American cinema giant wanted to explore the motivations behind the murder of the members of this indigenous tribe.
The director wanted to show how some Americans “have been able to rationalize violence even against those they love by simply saying, ‘This is civilization. One group goes in and another goes out,’” he explained. The film tackles “a forgotten part of our past”, abounded Leonardo DiCaprio, who was initially to play the detective of the FBI, but preferred to slip into the skin of the murderer after spending time with the Osage Native Americans.
The film was shot on the actual locations of these macabre events. The script was reworked until the last day of filming, explained Martin Scorsese, who was keen to “do what is necessary for them”. “It was about immersing yourself in this world,” insisted the New York director, despite the heat and the coyotes prowling the Oklahoma prairies. Killers of the Flower Moon is due to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, before hitting theaters in October.
Initially produced by the Paramount studio, this pharaonic project lasting three and a half hours, and with a budget of 200 million dollars was bought by Apple, which accepted a real release in dark rooms, before making it a loss leader for its streaming platform, Apple TV. “I am really delighted to have a wide theatrical release before the film is available at home, which is not serious …”, insisted Martin Scorsese. Produced by Netflix, his previous film, The Irishman, had only enjoyed very limited theatrical release, before landing on streaming.
The director of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas took advantage of his visit to Las Vegas to ask the owners of dark rooms to include in their programming “real auteur films”, alongside the blockbusters that are flooding the American market. . The CinemaCon organization gave him a lifetime achievement award. His work “will be revered for centuries and generations,” praised Leonardo DiCaprio.
The last day of CinemaCon was also marked by a surprise appearance from Rihanna. The pop superstar had come to promote a new animated film about the Smurfs universe, in which she will voice the famous Smurfette. The cartoon is due out in 2025. “Hopefully this will help me earn some ‘cool points’ with my kids one day,” the singer joked.
