In October, Killers of the Flower Moon will be released in German cinemas, the sixth feature film that master director Martin Scorsese and Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio made together. DiCaprio stars again in the crime drama based on a true story – but different than originally planned. In fact, the role he was cast in couldn’t be more different from the one he takes on in the 200-minute epic.
Leonardo DiCaprio was supposed to play the hero in Killers of the Flower Moon
The film takes place in the US state of Oklahoma in the 1920s, where many members of the Osage tribe have become rich through oil deposits. So, rich, that There are white envious people in the area who want to steal their fortune by any means possible.
Lily Gladstone plays the Osage woman Mollie, who romances the white Ernest (DiCaprio). Is this love between the two or does he just want her money?
Apple/Paramount
Killers of the Flower Moon
When Leonardo DiCaprio joined the project in 2017, he was initially intended for a different role, namely that of legendary investigator Tom White. The lawman played a major role in uncovering the series of Osage murders. Four years later, DiCaprio had changed his mind, so the script was fundamentally changed.
DiCaprio reveals how a momentous change came about
DiCaprio revealed to British Vogue the moment that changed everything for him: a script reading with a scene from Mollie and Ernest:
It just didn’t feel like it would [die Geschichte] get to the heart of the matter. […] There was this tiny, brief scene between Mollie and Ernest that evoked so many emotions in us during the reading, and we began to delve into that relationship, because it was so twisted and bizarre and so unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
Without giving any spoilers, the relationship between the two is characterized by an unmistakable attraction and Mollie still seems to be aware that that Ernest also wants her money.
DiCaprio then pushed to take on the role of Ernest and bring Gladstone’s character further into the center of the film. This makes the film very different from the non-fiction book by author David Grann.
Who will play the investigator instead of DiCaprio?
The role of investigator Tom White, on the other hand, shrank and his background hardly plays a role in the film. This character, which DiCaprio originally wanted to play, will be played by Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad, Game Night) in the finished film.
You can find out more about the film in the first impression after the premiere in Cannes: Killers of the Flower Moon is that good.
When will Killers of the Flower Moon come to Germany and where will the film stream?
Killers of the Flower Moon is coming in German cinemas on October 19th. The film is a production for the streaming service Apple TV+, so a release on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video is almost impossible.