Martin Scorsese's Killers Of The Flower Moon Not Coming Soon After All

If you've been waiting to see how the latest Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio collaboration looks on the big screen, you'll have to wait a little longer. "Killers of the Flower Moon" is a crime drama based on the true-life story of the Osage murders, which took place in Oklahoma in the 1920s. From 1918 to 1931, some 60 or more members of the Osage community were killed in a horrific spree (via The Osage Nation). The deaths were later connected to murders perpetuated to gain control of oil-rich land on the Osage Indian Reservation (per Indiewire). The investigation into those murders sparked the formation of the FBI, and a young J. Edgar Hoover investigated the case.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" has been a long-gestating project for Scorsese. The Oscar-winning director has been aligned with the project since 2017, when Deadline reported that he was looking at boarding the film along with "Shutter Island" collaborator DiCaprio and repeat colleague Robert De Niro. In February 2021, Jesse Plemons — who worked with Scorsese and De Niro on Netflix's "The Irishman" — was hired (via Deadline). Then, finally, after so much time spent in pre-production, filming on "Killers of the Flower Moon" kicked off in May 2021, with principal filming wrapping in the fall of that same year.

Given the production timeline, it's understandable that fans may have expected the film to be ready for a Fall 2022 release, and thus, it might qualify for the 2023 Oscar competition. But it seems that cinephiles will have to wait a little bit longer to find out what the great director has planned for them.

On July 26, Deadline reported that, while "Killers of the Flower Moon" definitely won't be released any time in 2022, it could come out in 2023. The Paramount Pictures and Apple+ co-production will possibly hit the 2023 festival circuit instead of heading for a fall or winter release. It's likely that the film's 2023 Cannes premiere will then lead to a wider release to theatres worldwide. If it opens at Cannes and manages to place in a competition or win an award, then the buzz resulting from this victory will likely lead to the film recouping any money it might miss, thanks to skipping the Oscar race. That means there'll likely be a slightly longer wait in the cards for those who were hoping to see the film sometime in 2022, but their patience will be rewarded in less than a year.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" will mark the first time DiCaprio has reunited with Scorsese for a full-length feature since 2015's "The Wolf of Wall Street." It is also the first time Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro (who is slated to play land baron William Hale in the film) have worked together since the 2015 comedy short "The Audition."