‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ author David Grann says Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone left him ‘really impressed’

Christopher Rosen
Updated ·4 min read
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The hype for Martin Scorsese’s epic-length new film “Killers of the Flower Moon” continues unabated. In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the non-fiction book’s author, David Grann, said he was able to visit the set of Scorsese’s latest and walked away “really impressed” by the film’s cast – particularly Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone.

“I was… just really impressed by how they managed to bring these historical figures to life and capture the hidden truths about the story,” Gran said. “Leo 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. [Robert] De Niro too. 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.”

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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.”

“Killers of the Flower Moon” will debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May before its theatrical debut in October. The Apple Original Film will then cycle onto the streaming service at a later date. According to the distributor, the film “is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.”

Grann said one thing that stood out to him about the adaptation was Scorsese’s insistence on bringing in members of the Osage tribe to work on the film and tell their story.

“For me, what was most important and gratifying was to get it into the hands of people who shared that commitment to the story. 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 said. “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.”

Grann said he wrote “Killers of the Flower Moon” to address a part of American history that “had been largely excised from our collective consciousness, outside the Osage Nation.” He added, “And so part of that hope was, okay, well maybe a book can help hopefully, if you could do a small part and hopefully share some of that information. But I’m not naive about the reach of books.”

Grann is the latest person involved with “Killers of the Flower Moon” to sing its praises. Earlier this year, the film’s costume designer, Jacqueline West, relayed a story about discussing the project with DiCaprio himself. “He said, ‘Jackie, I think we worked on a masterpiece,’” West recalled. “I thought for Leo to say that, was something. He doesn’t say that lightly. He has been in the business since he was a little boy.”

“Killers of the Flower Moon” will debut out-of-competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Apple struck a deal with Paramount for theatrical distribution. The film will open in limited release on October 6 before a nationwide bow on October 20.

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