An Osage community dance will apparently be filmed in May for the upcoming film, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
As reported by the Tulsa World, Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear told the Tulsa Press Club on March 25 a community dance was to be filmed in mid-May and that director Martin Scorsese and crew would return.
The Osage News spoke with Standing Bear and he said it’s well-known within the Osage community that film crews will return in May. He said the dance will be closed to the public and will only involve Osage cast members, Osage crew and Osage extras that were part of the film. He said he received a forwarded Save the Date email from someone alerting him to the dance.
The film is an adaptation of David Grann’s bestselling book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.” The book details the true story of the systematic murders of Osage tribal members for their oil wealth in the 1920s. The story also chronicles the investigation of federal agents and the evil they discover lurking on the reservation. There has been no official release date for the film.
“I can’t speak for any of the families that were affected,” he said. “But, from what I understand it’s going to be a very sad movie. I know that from one of my nieces who was in several scenes of the film. She said to me, ‘Uncle Geoff, this is going to be a very sad movie.’”
He went on to reiterate that the Nation had no part in the filming.
“The Osage Nation has nothing to do with the making of the movie, but we did open our language and culture people to them to learn about what was authentic and what wasn’t, and they took full advantage of that,” Standing Bear said. “I am glad they did that.”
Osage Nation employees who work for the Osage Language Department and the Wahzhazhe Cultural Center have been bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement when it comes to their role in the film, as well as the cast, crew and most extras. The Osage News has spoken off the record with a few individuals associated with filming and they said after the film is released, they will be able to tell their stories.
The film’s cast is stacked with some of the best actors in Hollywood, Native and non-Native. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow, Lily Gladstone, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbott Jr., Pat Healy, Scott Shepherd, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins and Jillian Dion.
