UPDATE: Source tells me “Deadline article is pure speculation. Nobody at Apple has confirmed that this film is being delayed, Marty and Thelma are still at work with no timeline.”
Amidst the great Venice lineup announcement today comes a bombshell of speculation courtesy of Deadline.
Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” will not be released in 2023, they say. Instead, it is eyeing a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next May. What?!
There was a rumor that 2023 might be an option for Scorsese’s film, then I was told December was the aim and that a marketing campaign was ready to go for the film. Did Scorsese and longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker get cold feet? I’m not buying it.
Speculating that Scorsese’s film could be a 2023 release isn't anything new. They just recycled intel that’s been around for months now. Not even the trades have taken up the story. Apple is still aiming for December but giving Scorsese/Thelma whatever time they need to finish it
The last time Scorsese was at Cannes was in 2002 to show the first 20 minutes of Gangs of New York. Before that? I can’t even remember, probably when 1985’s “After Hours” was in competition.
I just can’t see Apple campaigning both Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” next year. It’s one or the other.
It’s been said that Scott’s upcoming epic is eyeing next year’s Cannes with a summer release date soon after, but I just can’t see Scorsese’s film also going that route, sorry Deadline.
Meanwhile, as everyone decides to confirm that ‘Killers’ is 2023, without Apple even confirming it, The Film Experience’s Nathaniel Rogers tweeted this:
“Since everyone is pretending that Apple has confirmed the KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON delay, wouldn't it be awesome if they sneakily use this not-a-fact "fact" to launch a surprise Oscar attack at year's end without the weight of having been *the frontrunner* for months?”
Yes, ‘Doomsday’ was shot without a finalized script. It was being written as production rolled on. The screenplay was still under development on set, with daily rewrites and updates in progress.