Scorsese’s Flower Moon rescheduled, if safe, to start filming in 2021

The Irishman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You might remember us discussing the next big budget Scorsese film that Apple contemplated, then dipped, into its reserves to bail out (see: Apple Might Bail Out Budget of Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon).

Due to the pandemic filming was delayed “indefinitely” but apparently a new shooting date has been scheduled in 2021, and Scorsese is going all in with the Osage Nation, picking out many historic spots and plans to cast many Native Americans.

“Flower Moon” has been described by Scorsese as his first full-on Western movie and is reuniting the filmmaker with muses Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie is based on David Grann’s historical book and centers around the Osage Nation murders, in which members of the Native American tribe were killed after discovering oil on their reservation. The murders attracted the attention of the newly-created FBI.

Osage Nation Preparing February 2021 Shoot for Scorsese’s Flower Moon | IndieWire

I’m still going to question the budget of $200+ million. Does this movie have to cost this much? It’s not Avatar, Star Wars or even the next Christopher Nolan film. I know it’s Martin freaking Scorsese and he deserves to make big budget movies, but what is this going to have to gross to make any money?

That’s the bummer for me. If it is a great film — and for Scorsese’s first ever western, it probably will be — there will be all this buzz when it comes out that it “bombed” if it doesn’t make $750+ million. That just seems like unfair pressure for any film. Plus how can something be a failure that makes that kind of money? The movie world is upside down on success when it comes to budgets and box office success.

The finances aside, the other issue is run time. Any early guesses on how long this movie will be? Three plus hours? Four?

Here’s a not-so-crazy idea: make this a 4-6 part miniseries. Bet it would be incredible and our bladders would collectively say thank you. Snark aside, I look forward to any new Scorsese film, regardless of budget, story, run time. Do you want to know more about this film, or are you looking forward to it already, too?

Apple Might Bail Out Budget of Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese is bound to gain extra budgeting love from somebody in the streaming world. His current most likely suitor for Killers of the Flower Moon is Apple, according to Variety.

Paramount will distribute the murder mystery drama and Apple has boarded to finance the project and serve as its creative studio. The deal hasn’t closed yet, Variety reported.

Apple, Paramount Partner on Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ | IndieWire

What little I know about Killers of the Flower Moon sounds like good source material for another Scorsese movie and won’t deny through his long and storied film career that he deserves somebody to step in and help him with the budget. My only question is why somebody as experienced as him can’t better map out the budget in advance?

Netflix, Apple and Amazon remained strong possibilities for budgetary help. This trend is concerning on a number of levels. It’s one thing to be an established director looking for a cost overrun assistance (see: Martin Scorsese – Great Director Struggling Staying Within Budget), but these days streaming companies seem all too willing to open their wallets for most any movie project from anybody. Their desperation for volumes of new content needs to be tempered with fiscal responsibility. Don’t ask Netflix too much for that (they are outspending everybody for original content), but Amazon and Apple have been better in that department.

Lower, more sensible, responsible budgets, a smaller theatrical window, better synergy and cooperation between studio and movie theaters and (gasp!) streaming — the entertainment world would be a better, smarter place with these constructs. My argument is we’d receive better movies with an eye to creativity instead of fancy special effects and ridiculously cliched scripts.

What do you think?

Good to see the streamers jump in and bail out budgets? It depends on what director it is? Would you like to see more lower budget, yet quality creative films being made?