<P> Development began in August 2001 when producer Akiva Goldsman purchased Punke's manuscript . Iñárritu signed on to direct in August 2011 and in April 2014, after several delays due to other projects, Iñárritu confirmed that he was beginning work on The Revenant and that DiCaprio would play the lead role . Principal photography began in October 2014 . Location and crew concerns delayed the film from May to August 2015 . </P> <P> The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre on December 16, 2015 and had a limited release on December 25, expanding on January 8, 2016 . It received positive reviews from critics, with the performances, direction and cinematography receiving particular praise . The Revenant won three Golden Globe Awards, five BAFTA Awards and at the 88th Academy Awards, Iñárritu, DiCaprio and Emmanuel Lubezki won the awards for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Cinematography, respectively . DiCaprio also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor--Motion Picture Drama, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor . </P> <P> In 1823, Hugh Glass guides Andrew Henry's trappers through unorganized territory . While he and his half - Pawnee son, Hawk, are hunting, the company's camp is attacked by an Arikara war party . Guided by Glass, the survivors travel on foot to Fort Kiowa, as traveling downriver will make them vulnerable . After docking, the crew stashes the pelts near the shore . </P> <P> Glass is badly mauled by a grizzly bear and left close to death . Trapper John Fitzgerald, fearful of another Arikara attack, argues that the group must mercy - kill Glass and keep moving . Henry agrees, but is unable to pull the trigger; instead, he offers money for someone to stay with Glass . When the only volunteers are Hawk and the young Jim Bridger, Fitzgerald agrees to stay for money, to recoup his losses from the abandoned pelts . </P>

Where is the revenant meant to be set