Apple+ Will Release Martin Scorsese's Next Film

Published on May 28, 2020

Martin Scorsese is staying in the streaming world following the success of The Irishman. With the help of Apple, Scorsese is reteaming with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro for Killers of the Flower Moon. Paramount got cold feet over the $200 million period drama. Now, Apple+ has rescued the project and joined forces with Paramount. 

The Apple+ Deal

Apple+ is now the lead studio on the movie with Paramount taking a backseat on the production. Based on a book by David Grann, the cost of Scorsese’s vision kept going up and up. Once the budget soared past $185 million, Paramount got nervous, especially after they didn’t care for a new draft of the script. It’s an adult drama. Besides The Irishamn, we just don’t see dramas that cost $200 million.

A Case of The Irishman 

Martin Scorsese went through the same deal on The Irishman. The movie was originally set up at Paramount, but again, the studio couldn’t justify spending $200 million on that stunning epic. Netflix paid for the film, released it in a few theaters, and then took it to streaming. Apparently, Paramount wasn’t totally happy with that situation. Why they were upset makes little sense, given they bailed on the film, but maybe that’s why they’ll still release Killers of the Flower Moon in theaters. That’s right — the movie will still get a big theatrical release. Similar to The Beastie Boys Story, Apple+ will have the Scorsese pic go to theaters and then their streaming platform. 

The Theatrical Release is Great News

Theater owners were a bit miffed about The Irishman situation, because obviously, they could’ve made a lot of money from that Scorsese film. It would’ve been an event. However, since most theater owners hate what Netflix represents, they didn’t show the movie. They wanted to come to an agreement of some kind, but Netflix did what they pleased with their movie. 

It was good and bad. Mostly bad because most of us didn’t get a chance to watch The Irishman in a theater, where any Scorsese film should be experienced first. Thankfully, we won’t have to watch Killers of the Flower Moon from home when it comes out in the next year or two. According to Deadline, Netflix went after the western hard, too, but Apple+ came out on top. Maybe the theatrical release helped. 

Killers of the Flower Moon Book Synopsis 

It’s been a long time since De Niro and DiCaprio have shared the screen together. They reunited for a commercial Scorsese shot for a casino, but that was it. Now, the three powerhouses are properly together for the first time. Following all their movies together, like Goodfellas or The Departed, it’s quite an event. 

Here’s more information on what Killers of the Flower Moon is about, which Martin Scorsese describes as his western. 

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. 

As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

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Jack Giroux is a Staff Writer at Grit Daily. Based in Los Angeles, he is an entertainment journalist who's previously written for Thrillist, Slash Film, Film School Rejects, and The Film Stage.

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