UPDATED: I don’t want to name names here, but two sources of mine, one of which worked extensively on Scorsese’s film, are confirming Bramesco’s claim — PTA did, in fact, take part in rewriting a good portion of the script. There might, or might not, be a few trades reporting on this soon. If I was able to corroborate it then it’ll be very easy for them to do the same.
Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeffrey Wells:
There may be something to the rumor about Paul Thomas Anderson having rewritten significant portions of Killers ot the Flower Moon, at least during the later stages […] I checked with a person with ties to the KOTFM show, and he didn’t pour water on it. He called Anderson “an artist” and said “anything he may have done [rewrite-wise] could have only helped.” That’s a little vague but it’s certainly not a blanket denial.
Also, this was posted on the HE’s comments section around nine months ago:
EARLIER: A major claim is being made by The Guardian’s Charles Bramesco. He says that the “Killers of the Flower Moon” script was actually not written by Eric Roth, but rather by Paul Thomas Anderson!
On X, a user pointed out that Roth had been snubbed of an adapted screenplay Oscar nomination this morning. It was indeed a surprise given that he was supposed to be a cinch to get nominated. Bramesco replied …
The writer [Roth] hasn’t been on the circuit, because I heard pretty much the entire thing was rewritten by … PTA.
We already know that there was a total script overhaul for ‘Killers.’ Scorsese and DiCaprio decided that, instead of depicting the point of view of the FBI, they were going to focus on the story of the Osage nation.
It was thought that Roth had written both of these versions of the film, but Bramesco is implying that PTA came in and reportedly rewrote all of the script from scratch. That’s a bold move on his part, and, possibly, a tad unprofessional.
It is odd, but not out of the ordinary, for a writer to get credited for a screenplay they didn’t write. However, Roth was being campaigned for Oscar consideration and has been nominated by other voting bodies. I’ve contacted Roth to comment on the story. I’ll be updating this one if anything else comes out in the next few hours ..