Right before the coronavirus hit in America, Martin Scorsese and crew were planning to kick off their $200 million production of Killers of the Flower Moon in Oklahoma. Led by Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, the adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, scripted by Eric Roth, was of course halted. We finally received news this week that the crew was now exploring the necessary safety protocols to safely kick production off, though no timetable was given.

An update has now arrived that a shoot is planning to get underway beginning in February 2021, nearly a year after the original intended date. This report comes from Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear. `My latest information is that they would start filming, subject to Coronavirus, February 2021. And, they will be here for about 16 weeks. They're going to start moving in here quietly, I'm not helping that very much, but quietly around November and December. So, they're coming.`

If all goes according to plan, a four-month production would mean the shoot would wrap in mid-2021 and we likely wouldn't see the film until late 2022 at the earliest as Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker tend to have fairly extensive editing periods. One can also see why DiCaprio has passed on new films by Paul Thomas Anderson and Guillermo del Toro (with both roles taken by Bradley Cooper) as the actor continues to clear his schedule for his next reunion with Scorsese.

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The Osage Nation is preparing for Scorsese's $200 million "Killers of the Flower Moon" to film in February 2021: "They will be here for about 16 weeks. They're going to start moving in here quietly...around November and December," revealed principal chief Geoffrey Standing Bear. The "Flower Moon" production is expected to employ many Native American crew members when it starts shooting next year - head to the link in our bio to learn more.⁠ (📸: AP) --⁠ #killersoftheflowermoon #martinscorsese #leonardodicaprio #osagenation #film ⁠

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Apple came aboard to finance the film back in May, while Paramount will distribute the film theatrically worldwide. Chad Renfro, Osage Nation ambassador for the film, said, `They are excited about the partnership with Apple and that they will be and are very much looking forward to filming here. The industry and production is basically at a standstill due to COVID 19 and timing is the biggest unknown. With safety for all being of greatest concern, once the industry protocol has been established and it is safe to embark on this important project, they will reach back out to us.`