Killers Of The Flower Moon Trailer: Martin Scorsese Returns With A Shocking True Story

The long-awaited trailer for the latest Martin Scorsese project, "Killers of the Flower Moon," is finally here. The Apple film about a very dark part of America's history is based on the 2017 book by David Grann: "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI." Time magazine picked the title as one of the top 10 non-fiction books of 2017.

It's the story of the Osage Nation, which was resettled in Oklahoma in the 1800s after its people were forced off their own land. There was oil discovered on the new land, however, and it made the Osage Nation very rich. One of the wealthiest members of the Osage Nation was Mollie Burkhart (née Kyle, played in the film by Lily Gladstone from "Billions"), who married a white man named Ernest Burkhart (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). At the time, the only way for outsiders to get their hands on the money was through marriage. Then the murders of well-off Osage Nation members began. 

Mollie Burkhart's family members were among the dozens of wealthy Osage Native Americans who were murdered in the 1920s, with one of them shot, and another poisoned. According to the book synopsis, the murders were investigated by the newly formed FBI. Then-director J. Edgar Hoover sent a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to investigate. White will be played by Jesse Plemons in the film. Today, the long-awaited "Killers of the Flower Moon" trailer arrived, and you can watch it below. 

It's interesting to note that the role of Tom White in the film was intended for DiCaprio, but he wanted to play Ernest Burkhart as he felt the role was more complex. Robert De Niro plays the role of Ernest's father, rancher William Hale. "Killers of the Flower Moon" was written by Eric Roth ("Forrest Gump," "A Star Is Born," "Dune") and Scorsese. It's produced by Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin. 

Also in the cast are Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbott Jr., Pat Healy, Scott Shepherd, Jason Isbell, and Sturgill Simpson. The studios behind the film are Imperative Entertainment and Appian Way.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this week. It will arrive in theaters on October 6, 2023, just in time for awards season.

Based on David Grann's broadly lauded best-selling book, "Killers of the Flower Moon" is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.