'Killers of the Flower Moon' looks to contend for Oscars. These Oklahoma films already have

After earning widespread critical acclaim with its Oct. 20 theatrical bow, Martin Scorsese's made-in-Oklahoma drama "Killers of the Flower Moon," is expected to be a major contender in the upcoming Oscars race.

Filmed in and around Osage County over 99 days in 2021, Scorsese's $200 million epic is the biggest movie ever made in Oklahoma. It's adapted from David Grann's 2017 National Book Award finalist “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI" and draws back the curtain on a dark chapter of Oklahoma history: The 1920s "Reign of Terror," a series of brutal murders of Osage Nation citizens, who had become rich through an oil boom that would produce more wealth than all of the American gold rushes combined.

Not only did Scorsese — an Academy Award-winning icon known for his movies "The Wolf of Wall Street," Taxi Driver" and "The Departed," for which garnered his best director Oscar — direct and produce "Killers of the Flower Moon," but he also co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth, a six-time Academy Award nominee who won in 1995 with "Forrest Gump."

'Killers of the Flower Moon' projected to land double-digit Oscar nominations

"Killers of the Flower Moon" reunited Scorsese with two of his frequent collaborators who had never been in one of his feature films together: Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Revenant") and two-time Oscar recipient Robert De Niro ("Raging Bull," "The Godfather: Part II").

But Native American performer Lily Gladstone, who is NiMíiPuu, or Nez Perce, and Siksikaitsitapi, or Blackfeet, has earned as much if not more Oscar buzz as her famous co-stars for her lead role as Mollie Kyle Burkhart, a real-life Osage woman who lived on the tribal settlement of Gray Horse, near Fairfax.

During the Reign of Terror, Mollie and her family were marked for death in a vicious scheme to swindle away their oil money, which was masterminded by ruthless local rancher William K. Hale (De Niro). DiCaprio portrays Mollie's treacherous husband, Ernest Burkhart, a shiftless World War I veteran caught between his love for his wife and the powerful influence of Hale, his uncle.

Variety has already confirmed that Gladstone will contend for best actress and she could become the first Native American nominee in that prestigious category if she gets the nod.

The official nominations won't be announced until Jan. 23. But Variety, Goldderby.com and Awardsdaily.com are predicting that "Killers of the Flower Moon" will land double-digit Oscar nominations, projecting that the movie could compete for best picture, best director, best actress for Gladstone, best actor for DiCaprio, best supporting actor for De Niro, best original score for the late Robbie Robertson, best adapted screenplay, best cinematography, best editing, best production design and best costume design.

A fact-based historical drama made in the place it all happened with a legendary director, starry cast, big budget and the possibility of a history-making moment? That definitely sounds like Oscars potential, although Scorsese's previous fact-based epic, the 2019 gangster saga "The Irishman," was nominated for 10 Academy Awards but didn't win any.

So, mark your calendars for March 10, 2024 — that's when the 96th Academy Awards are scheduled to air on ABC — and take a look at other Oscar-nominated and winning films that have been made in Oklahoma:

'Minari'

Filmed in the Tulsa area in 2019, "Minari" was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture, best actor for Steven Yeun and best director and original screenplay for Lee Isaac Chung.

Chung’s powerful and poetic film stars Yeun (the first Asian American to be nominated for a best actor Oscar) as the patriarch of a Korean immigrant family who relocates in the 1980s from Los Angeles to rural Arkansas to start a farm. He, his dubious wife Monica (Yeri Han), their two lively children — Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and David (Alan Kim) — and his feisty mother-in-law Soonja (Youn Yuh-jung) weather tragedy and triumph in their quest to build a life in the Heartland.

The first Korean actress ever nominated in the 93-year history of the Oscars,Youn, then 73, made history by winning the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her scene-stealing turn in "Minari."

Earlier this year, Chung returned to the Sooner State to film his next movie, "Twisters," the follow-up to another Oscar-nominated Oklahoma movie, 1996's "Twister."

'August: Osage County'

As the title suggests, Primetime Emmy-winning helmer John Wells ("The West Wing") filmed his star-studded adaptation of Tulsa native Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning play in the same area where "Killers of the Flower Moon" was made.

Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts were both nominated for Oscars for their turns in the 2013 drama about a dysfunctional family reuniting in their Oklahoma home during a time of crisis. It also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor and Abigail Breslin.

'Twister'

The stormy action vehicle starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Cary Elwes lensed in various Oklahoma hamlets, including Wakita, where the Twister Museum still revolves around the blockbuster.

The 1996 film, which follows teams of rival storm chasers as tornadoes erupt across the Sooner State, was nominated for Academy Awards for best visual effects and best sound.

'Rain Man'

The top-grossing film of 1988, this road-trip movie stars Tom Cruise as a low-life hustler and Dustin Hoffman as his long-lost brother who has autism and savant abilities.

Director Barry Levinson filmed the drama in Guthrie, Hinton, Cogar and El Reno — as well as outside the Sooner State in Cincinnati, Las Vegas and Los Angeles — en route to winning four Oscars, including best picture, best original screenplay, best actor for Hoffman and best director.

"Rain Man" marked its 35th anniversary this year with a special two-day re-release in theaters and its recent debut on 4K Ultra HD with a new restoration.

'Around the World in 80 Days'

The filming of this 1956 Jules Verne adaptation lived up to its name, with lensing in London, Madrid, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Lawton.

It won five Oscars, including best picture, best adapted screenplay, best cinematography, best editing and best score.

To date, "Rain Man" and "Around the World in 80 Days" are the only movies to film in Oklahoma that have won the Academy Award for best picture.

'The Grapes of Wrath'

Included on the National Film Registry due to its cultural, historical and aesthetic significance, John Ford's 1940 adaptation of John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was nominated for seven Academy Awards.

"The Grapes of Wrath" won two, including best director for legendary helmer Ford and best supporting actress for Jane Darwell, who played Ma Joad to Henry Fonda's Tom.

If you watch it, look out for the historic Beckham County Courthouse in Sayre.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Before 'Killers,' these Oklahoma movies contended for Academy Awards