Killers Of The Flower Moon Production Team Prepping For Filming To Start In Pawhuska

Film crews are gearing up to start production on a major motion picture in Osage County.

Filming for "Killers of the Flower Moon" is expected to start in late spring or early summer after being pushed back a year by the pandemic, which means work is being done now to get ready.

The movie is based on a true story about the murders of Osage Indians in the 1920s, which became the center of a major F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover. The story was detailed in a novel of the same title by David Grann.

Downtown Pawhuska will be a centerpiece in the movie where many of the buildings that were prominent there in the 1920s are still standing and in good shape today.

Pawhuska Mayor Roger Taylor said production crews are in town looking at several buildings to see if they will work for the movie.

He said in some cases the crews are making some minor changes and doing some construction to help the buildings better replicate the 1920s. He added, eventually even the streets downtown will turn into dirt roads for filming.

Taylor said the real work to transform the town will not start happening until late February or early March.

The film will feature some of Hollywood's biggest names, three academy award winners— director Martin Scorsese and actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.

News On 6 is told Scorsese wants to make sure he creates an authentic portrayal of the Osage Nation and indigenous peoples. He has met many times with tribal members and Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear.