Martin Scorsese’s next big epic, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is reportedly in trouble, with production costs coming in at over $200 million, and the director is reaching out to Apple and others for financing to save the project.
The Wall Street Journal reports production of the film “Killers of the Flower Moon” — which is based on David Grann’s 2017 nonfiction bestseller of the same name — is already partially underway. The book covers the real-life murder of oil-rich Osage Nation Native Americans in Oklahoma in the 1920s. The film is set to star Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro (because Scorsese is apparently legally barred from making a film without a role for De Niro).
Paramount Pictures, which was originally slated to release the film, is balking at the $200 million budget. Scorsese and his team have reportedly reached out to numerous parties looking for additional financing, including Apple’s Apple TV+, Netflix, Universal Studios, and MGM Holdings.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is just the latest Scorsese project to go over budget and need rescuing after Paramount balked at cost overruns. Scorsese’s “The Irishman” was moved from Paramount to Netflix after the former decided the project was too costly to produce. Production costs of “The Irishman” were estimated to have been near $200 million.
If Apple were to opt to work with Scorsese, it would be the highest-profile and most expensive Apple TV+ film project to date.
