HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Quentin Tarantino has revealed his reasoning for enlisting David Fincher to direct the forthcoming sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, titled The Adventures of Cliff Booth. The decision stems from Tarantino’s high regard for Fincher’s directorial prowess.
Tarantino taps Fincher for Cliff Booth spin-off
The Adventures of Cliff Booth is currently in production, serving as a follow-up to the 2019 film that chronicled the lives of fading actor Rick Dalton, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his stunt double Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, as they navigated 1969 Hollywood amidst the chilling backdrop of the Tate murders.
While the new film is based on an original script penned by Tarantino, it was confirmed in April that he would not be at the helm. Instead, he gave his approval to Fincher, the acclaimed director behind Fight Club and Seven.
“I think me and David Fincher are the two best directors,” Tarantino explained on his podcast, The Church of Tarantino. “So the idea that David Fincher actually wants to adapt my work, to me, shows a level of seriousness towards my work that I think needs to be taken into account.”
Pitt is set to reprise his role as Cliff Booth. The cast also includes Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Elizabeth Debicki, and Scott Caan. The film is slated for release by Netflix, though an official release date has not yet been announced.
Brad Pitt previously commented on Tarantino’s decision not to direct. “This is something Quentin Tarantino wrote,” Pitt said. “It’s an episode, not really a sequel, of the character from Once Upon a Time. He didn’t want to direct it at this point, so our friend David Fincher stepped in.”
The original 2019 film achieved both critical and commercial success, grossing $329.4 million globally. It became Tarantino’s second-highest-grossing movie, following 2012’s Django Unchained. The film also garnered a five-star review and was hailed as Tarantino’s most satisfying work in decades.
Did you know? Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was his second highest-grossing movie worldwide.
In the same podcast episode, Tarantino also discussed his decision to abandon The Movie Critic, which was intended to be his tenth and final directorial project. He expressed satisfaction with the script, initially conceived as an eight-part series and then adapted into a feature-length film. However, he admitted to feeling unenthused as pre-production commenced.
Despite his fondness for the concept, Tarantino described the project as more of a personal challenge: “Can I take the most boring profession in the world and make it an interesting movie?”
“Every Tarantino title promises so much, except The Movie Critic,” he stated. “Who wants to see a TV show about a fucking movie critic? Who wants to see a movie called The Movie Critic? If I can actually make a movie or a TV show about somebody who watches movies interesting, that is an accomplishment.”
