Killers of the Flower Moon: Martin Scorsese begins shooting new film with Robert De Niro

Jesse Plemons recently replaced Leonardo DiCaprio’s original lead role

Martin Scorsese has finally begun shooting his new film with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The director, 78, began shooting Killers of the Flower Moon in Oklahoma on Monday (19 April), saying in a statement that he is “thrilled” to start work.

Killers of the Flower Moon, an adaptation of David Grann’s best-selling book, follows an FBI investigation into a string of murders that plagued the Osage Indian tribe during the 1920s after oil was found on their land.

“To be able to tell this story on the land where these events took place is incredibly important and critical to allowing us to portray an accurate depiction of the time and people,” Scorsese said.

It marks Scorsese’s first feature film since The Irishman, which was released on Netflix in December 2019.

Killers of the Flower Moon marks his second project to be released on a streaming service, with Apple TV+ funding the $200m budget film.

“We’re grateful to Apple, the Oklahoma Film and Music Office and The Osage Nation, especially all our Osage consultants and cultural advisors, as we prepare for this shoot,” Scorsese continued.

“We’re excited to start working with our local cast and crew to bring this story to life on screen and immortalise a time in American history that should not be forgotten.”

Martin Scorsese says he’s ‘thrilled’ to start work on ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (Getty Images)

It was reported earlier this year that Jesse Plemons replaced Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role as FBI agent Tom White.

The move came after the film’s writer, Eric Roth, claimed he “argued” with theWolf of Wall Street star over his demands to play a different character.

DiCaprio, who has worked with Scorsese five times previously, will now play the nephew of De Niro’s rancher, Ernest Burkhart. This was the role he wanted to play.

Lily Gladstone will play Ernest’s wife, Mollie.

Jesse Plemons is playing the role that originally went to Leonardo DiCaprio (Getty Images)

According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Plemons, who recently starred alongside Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield in Judas and the Black Messiah, had to drop out of Jordan Peele’s new film to appear in Killers of the Flower Moon.

The film will be released in 2022.