Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest film directors in history. Taxi Driver. Goodfellas. Raging Bull. This whole article could be nothing but his filmography. Scorsese has had two actors as his muses throughout his career: Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Both have done some of their best work under Scorsese, and fans of the filmmaker never dreamed that the two would work together under the master’s watchful eye (in something that’s not an ad). If today’s news is to be believed, that impossible dream might be coming true.
The non-fiction story Killers of the Flower Moon has been snatched up for adaptation, and the three powerhouses are seriously circling the project. The tale revolves around a series of grisly murders surrounding the Osage Indian tribe in Oklahoma. What makes the whole thing suspicious is that the murders begin shortly after the tribe discovers oil on their land. It was such a terrible situation that the federal government had to take matters into their own hands. A huge part of that story also chronicles the rise of J. Edgar Hoover and the birth of the FBI, so there is a ton of fascinating history to be mined.
A Match Made in Heaven
There are a lot of interesting connections to previous and upcoming projects that align with Killers of the Flower Moon. DiCaprio played J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood’s biopic about the controversial figure. Scorsese and DiCaprio are also attached to an adaptation of The Devil in the White City, a historical true crime story about the serial killer H.H. Holmes. Could Killers of the Flower Moon overtake that long-awaited project?
No matter what happens, this is a cause for celebration. De Niro is currently working with Scorsese on The Irishman, another true crime flick, so it sounds like the two are happy to be working together again. De Niro and DiCaprio haven’t been in a film together for over twenty years – Marvin’s Room for anyone interested – so this would be one hell of a reunion.
We’ll keep ourselves aware of any updates to this story.
