Here we are again. Remember Martin Scorsese‘s last film, the 3 and a half hour behemoth The Irishman? Well it was only able to be that long because the film was at Netflix, who gave Scorsese the freedom to make it whatever length he wanted. A studio that certainly wouldn’t have agreed to that runtime was Paramount, where the film originally resided until the studio began to balk at the budget.
That led to Paramount allowing Scorsese to shop the film around, and Netflix eventually bought it. That very same story could be playing out with Scorsese’s next movie, Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Paramount, where the project originated, are once again concerned about the ballooning budget – reportedly $200 million – and have allowed Scorsese to again shop the film to other studios (and streaming platforms).
Unsurprisingly, Netflix are interested once again. But so are Apple, and Scorsese has reportedly had discussions with both. No decision has yet been made, but it seems likely that a Scorsese film will once again not get a traditional wide cinematic release.
This move does make sense from Paramount’s perspective. While the film may star Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, Scorsese has insisted he’s not making a crime thriller. He’s described the film as more of a western that examines the culpability of white people in the murders and erasure of Native Americans. It sounds fascinating, but not exactly box office dynamite.
Paramount, for better or worse, would rather spend a $200 million budget on established IP that’s far more likely to make them money at the box office. Netflix and Apple on the other hand are more interested in getting subscribers and views, so if they host the new Scorsese film, that’s exactly what they’re going to get.
It might even be better for Scorsese, who will likely get a brief, limited theatrical run anyway, and will get full creative freedom to make whatever film he wants. It worked out pretty impressively for The Irishman.
Killers Of The Flower Moon has been a project he’s been trying to develop for a while. It’s a true story which chronicles one of the first cases the FBI ever investigated; the murders of Osage Native Americans in Oklahoma in an effort to remove them from valuable oil-rich land. Plans were being put in place for production to begin this spring.
We’ll wait and see which streaming giant – or wildcard, you never know – wins the rights to the film. Netflix is probably the favourite considering Scorsese’s prior collaboration with them, but Apple will certainly throw as much money as possible at the project, as they could really do with a major event like a Scorsese film for their nascent Netflix competitor.
#Peace.Love.KillersOfTheFlowerMoon
