Rumor: Robert De Niro is the Lead of ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

Some more “Killers of the Flower Moon” updates because more intel is being spilt, post-Cannes announcement.

Firstly, Variety reported earlier today that the film runs “nearly 4 hours” which led a few people to email me about its accuracy.

I reached out to ‘Killers’ screenwriter Eric Roth about the runtime, and he plainly stated:

People like to throw out numbers. I find it rather meaningless. Mr. Scorsese's work speaks for itself. I'm just proud to be associated with this remarkable movie.

Roth also seemed unaware as to whether or not the film would compete for the Palme d’Or, adding, “I think it will have a much deserved reception however it is shown.”

Roger Friedman’s reporting last month had mentioned that the latest cut for Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” clocked in at 3 hours 20 minutes. Is that “nearly” 4 hours?

Scorsese’s last film, “The Irishman,” was released in 2019 as a 3 hour 30 minute epic. The legendary filmmaker loves his lengthy films, with his last few (“Silence” “The Wolf of Wall Street”) coming in at just under three hours.

Additionally, Friedman has a new piece up today, detailing the Killers/Cannes announcement. Most of the writeup has to do with the basic facts that we already know. However, Friedman does mention something particularly interesting. He’s hearing Robert De Niro is the lead of the film and that his performance is said to be “spectacular.” Leonardo DiCaprio's role is a strong supporting turn.

That’s news to me, and for most people. I reached out to Roger and he told me that what he wrote was no typo, De Niro is definitely the lead. De Niro’s William Hale, and his protege, DiCaprio’s Ernest Burkhart, were the evils perpetrated upon the Osage Nation — they inflicted brutal savagery on that community. If the film focuses on these two guys then we’re in for a very grim picture.

The only photo that’s been released of “Killers of the Flower Moon” is the one of Leonardo Dicaprio and Lily Gladstone sitting at the table. We’ve been assuming all along that the film would focus on them. If De Niro is indeed the lead then it’s basically going to catch everyone off-guard.

Initial production on the $200 million budgeted ‘Killers’ wrapped in October of 2021. Then a series of reshoots occurred in mid-2022, both in New York City and Oklahoma.

Between pre and post, Scorsese’s been working on this one for three years now. I doubt he’s even concentrating on his next film, which is supposed to be an adaptation of David Grann’s “The Wager.”

‘Killers’, written by Roth, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone. Its source material is the best-selling 2017 non-fiction book by Grann, which is based on the series of 1920s Oklahoma murders in the Osage Nation committed after oil was discovered on tribal land.