Just weeks after his firstOscarwin forThe Revenant,Leonardo DiCapriois teaming up withJ.J. Abramsand screenwriterEric Roth, with the trio eyeing an adaptation ofKillers of the Flower Moonfor Paramount.The Wrapreports that the producers are currently in the midst of a bidding war for the rights to this non-fiction book by David Grann. Their current bid is at $2 million, and while there are other higher offers on the table, including one from Sony withGeorge Clooneydirecting andAmy Pascalproducing, Paramount is considered the front runner, although the deal hasn’t closed yet.
The book is set in the 1920s, based on thetrue storyof several Osage Indians being murdered in Oklahoma, where their tribe rested above a rich oil reserve. The Indians were granted rights that gave them a percentage of the oil revenue, but then many of the Indians started to get killed off. The case was handed over to a new government agency called the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in what would be the bureau’s first major homicide case.
The new agency had to fight off widespread corruption to solve the case. It isn’t known if there are any plans forLeonardo DiCaprioto star in the adaptation, or forJ.J. Abramsto direct at this time. If Paramount does land the project,Eric Roth, who has written true story adaptations such asMunichand The Insider, will most likely write the script.
Deadlinereported earlier this week that other bidders for the project includeJason BlumandScott Rudinfor Universal, New Regency and Fox withBrad Pitt’s Plan B, who developed David Grann’s novelThe Lost City of Z, Warner Bros andBrett Ratner’s RatPac and Anonymous Content. The book is said to be an exceptional read, and a deal is expected to be reached by the end of this week.
Leonardo DiCapriohas a number of producing projects in the works including the upcomingRobin Hood: OriginsandLive by Night.J.J. Abramsproduces10 Cloverfield Lane, which hits theaters this weekend, along with the upcomingsci-fisequelStar Trek Beyond. What do you think aboutLeonardo DiCaprioteaming up withJ.J. AbramsforKillers of the Flower Moon?
