‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’: Read The Screenplay From Martin Scorsese And Eric Roth That Looks To Un-Erase An Ugly Part Of U.S. History

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with Killers of the Flower Moon, the Apple Original Films epic that sports the season’s biggest list of bona fides. Oscar winner Martin Scorsese directed the film, which he co-wrote with Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth based on David Grann’s bestselling book. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons star.

The true story unfolds in Oklahoma at turn of the 20th century when oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who overnight became some of the richest people in the world. The wealth immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder in what became known as the Reign of Terror.

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Scorsese and Roth framed their epic Western through the romance of Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Gladstone), laying bare and shining a light on an ugly chapter of U.S. history that had been mostly dismissed over the generations outside those whose lives were forever impacted.

It was a tall task for the filmmakers, and even Gladstone has warned of the film’s impact, particularly for younger viewers and women. “See it when and only if you feel ready and see it with people you feel safe with,” she wrote on her social media feeds. “You’ll likely have a lot of generational grief to process. You’re not alone.”

She added: “I’m so proud of the film we made with so many Osage Nation leaders, artists, educators & community advocates. Never forget this story is recent history with a lasting impact on breathing, feeling people today. It belongs to them, & we all have so much to learn from it.”

Click below to read the script.

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