Apple Lands Martin Scorsese Movie Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro -- Update

By Joe Flint and R.T. Watson 

Apple Inc. has nabbed director Martin Scorsese's next film, "Killers of the Flower Moon," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, according to people familiar with the matter.

The project will be the tech giant's biggest foray into film yet as it beat out other interested companies, including Netflix Inc., which produced Mr. Scorsese's last film.

The film will be labeled an Apple Original Film, and Paramount Pictures, which was the original home for the movie, will distribute the movie theatrically.

Paramount Pictures, a unit of ViacomCBS Inc., had both creative and financial issues with the movie, whose budget ballooned to more than $200 million, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Script rewrites were done to try to bring costs down but ultimately failed and the studio balked at the project.

The Wall Street Journal reported in April that Mr. Scorsese's team approached Apple about taking the movie, as well as Netflix and MGM Holdings Inc.

This is the second major movie acquisition Apple has made in recent days. It also acquired "Greyhound," a Tom Hanks World War II movie that previously was at Sony Pictures. The movie is based on the Battle of the Atlantic and was also written by Mr. Hanks.

Mr. Scorsese's last film, "The Irishman," also starring Mr. De Niro, ended up changing producers during development as well because of soaring costs. Netflix rescued the project because having the high-profile film helped boost the streaming service's burgeoning reputation.

"The Irishman" received several Academy Award nominations last year amid a lavish campaign but went home empty-handed.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" is based on a nonfiction bestseller by David Grann about a string of killings of Osage Indians that took place in the early 20th century in Oklahoma.

Write to Joe Flint at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 27, 2020 20:11 ET (00:11 GMT)

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