Two years of rubbish: Why did Scorsese rewrite Killers of the Flower Moon?

Killers of the Flower Moon could have been completely different if Martin Scorsese had not made this radical decision! Indeed, after 2 years of work with his co-author Eric Roth, the filmmaker decided to trash the first version of his script, which followed the main plot of the book it was inspired by: American note By David Grann.

In this extensive investigation published in 2017, the author presents FBI investigations into a series of murders involving the Osage Native American tribe in Oklahoma in the early 1920s. Thus, the story is told from Tom White’s point of view. FBI agent who investigated these murders. Note that the screenplay adaptation version was still 200 pages long! As he explains, it took Scorsese and his team more than 4.5 hours to complete the first reading. in the columns of Variety.

That’s why Martin Scorsese and Eric Roth decided to faithfully follow David Grann’s plot when developing the script. Leonardo DiCaprio was to be played by Tom White, and Jesse Plemons was to be played by Ernest Burkhart. But after two years of hard work between 2018 and 2020, a discussion between Scorsese and DiCaprio changed things. After meeting many members of the Osage community and immersing themselves in their culture, the decision was made to rewrite the script by changing the perspective.

Change your point of view

“We thought about every aspect of the story, the FBI and Tom White’s character’s point of view, including elements of the Texas Rangers story. Everything revolved around Tom White. We looked at the story from all his angles, all the time. With Tom White as the main character.”The filmmaker points out.

“After a certain point I realized I was making a film about all white people. That meant I was taking an outsider approach as far as I was concerned.”the director revealed at the time microphone. “Why make a movie about Tom White when it’s about Osage history”asked DiCaprio and Scorsese.

After a while I realized that I was making a film about all white people. This meant I was taking an outside approach, which I was worried about.

“Here’s what it looked like: He gets off the train, we see his boots, the camera pans up and he appears with his Stetston. He walks into town, without saying a word. We’ve seen it elsewhere.”Emphasis on Martin Scorsese.

Along with DiCaprio, they decided to go back and tell the story from the Osage point of view, which would deepen the relationship between Ernest and Molly. After this interrogation, Leonardo left the role of Tom White to Jesse Plemons and took over the role of Burkhart.

Understanding the role of OSAGES

“It took time to perfect the script so that Eric Roth, Marty and I could really get into the Osage perspective, rather than just an FBI investigation story. The book works great, but the risk was that the movie would be just another story. The story of a white savior, an FBI agent who comes in and solves problems. We could have easily fallen into that. David Grann was very direct and told us: If you want to make a movie, you have to understand the role. The Osages in this story.”Leonardo DiCaprio confides.

The script took some time to perfect, so Eric Roth, Marty, and I really took the Osage perspective instead of just making it the story of an FBI investigation.

“It’s a different film than what Scorsese envisioned from the beginning, especially thanks to the words of the Osage community. It’s not a white savior story. It’s the Osage people who say, ‘Do something.’ This is it. ‘Money, come and help us.’Highlighted by Lily Gladstone, who plays Molly in the film.

According to Scorsese, the interest in Killers of the Flower Moon lies in the intimacy of the relationship between the victims and their executioners. the latter “I lived with them, I loved them, but they killed me. It also asks who we are as Westerners, as Europeans. What values ​​have we brought with us into this new world? And this story goes right to the heart of that question.”The director analyzes.

After rewriting the script, filming took place over 7 long months, from April to September 2021. The installation then took a long week to produce this monumental mural of 3 hours and 26 minutes. Distributed by Paramount, the film opens in theaters on October 18.