Do not adjust your computer screens. Yes, after nearly two years, we finally have a new look at Martin Scorsese’s western epic Killers of the Flower Moon. Released today by Apple ahead of a Cannes Film Festival premiere, the new images feature Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, as well as the director himself on set. We also have a few new details from author David Grann, whose book was adapted by Eric Roth and Scorsese for the big screen.
“One of the things that was really most impressive and important in the development process was less my involvement, but the involvement of members of the Osage Nation,” Grann told Vanity Fair. “And early on, the Osage chief, Geoffrey Standing Bear, appointed several movie ambassadors from the Nation, from the government, to work with the movie folks. From everything I’ve heard, they really worked with a commitment to working with the Osage Nation, developing a story, even shooting on location. Many Osage are actually acting in the movie.”
He added, “I did visit the set for a few days. And I was, again, just really impressed by how they managed to bring these historical figures to life and capture the hidden truths about the story. Leo [DiCaprio] just seemed to just be able to capture the nature of Ernest Burkhart, and the level of complicity of his character, and this evil system. And Lily Gladstone brings Mollie to life with such sensitivity and emotional power, at least in the bits I saw.”
“What I was struck by from Scorsese to the actors was the level of commitment and how much research they did to understand the parts and understand the history,” he added. “They just seemed voracious, a little bit like historians, in their search for any knowledge, transcripts, documents, speaking to descendants, speaking with members of the Osage Nation.”
Grann also said, “The film had Osage-language experts working with the actors to make sure they were able to teach them the language and that they got the language right, technically. I saw a scene where many of the tribal council members of the Osage Nation were speaking, and I think they contributed to a lot of that dialogue themselves. I think anyone who sees that will find it bracing and breathtaking and powerful.”
Check out the new images above and below.
Killers of the Flower Moon premieres at Cannes Film Festival and opens in theaters on October 6.