Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
An incredibly surprising story broke yesterday that there was a sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in development. Did Tarantino decide he wanted to return, Kill Bill Vol. 2 style? Well, not exactly.
The project is…strange, to say the least. Here’s what we know, and some of this raises a few red flags.
- The film is being developed for Netflix, often considered the antithesis of what Hollywood represents, and unlike some of its other big-name projects, is reportedly forgoing any sort of theatrical run outside of this. It’s ironic that a story deeply ingrained in old school Hollywood filmmaking would be released on the streamer.
- This is not being directed by Quentin Tarantino, as of now. It’s being directed by David Fincher based on a Quentin Tarantino script. Fincher has been shooting digitally as of late, not on film like the original Tarantino movie, so that would be a significant change if that happened.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Fincher’s relationship with Netflix has been a bit all over the place. He was behind its first real original series, House of Cards, back in the nascent days of the service. He did what could be considered the best original series ever on Netflix, Mindhunter, where everyone is still baffled by its cancelation to this day. Since then, Fincher has directed Mank, a multiple Oscar-nominee starring Gary Oldman. Then, The Killer, with Michael Fassbender, a somewhat odd production. So, Fincher directing a Tarantino sequel script? That seems like a big question mark.
- Finally, word is that this is a Cliff Booth feature starring Brad Pitt. There are conflicting reports that either Leonardo DiCaprio, star of the first film, is either not returning at all or in negotiations for a small part. That doesn’t sound ideal either way.
Could this work? Absolutely. But so much of this sounds odd, whether it’s Tarantino not directing or this thing going straight to Netflix. The film has been trending this year in particular due to the fact that in 2019, it “discovered” four of the most popular young stars right now, Austin Butler, Sydney Sweeney, Margaret Qualley and now Oscar-winner Mikey Madison. I wonder who they might find this time.
I would love this movie to be amazing. I would also love to sit down in an actual theater and watch it, but I suppose this is the world we live in now, and so often these days, non-mega blockbuster projects need to go where the money is. And the money is with streamers. We’ll see how this develops, along with a potential release window.
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