- Brad Pitt to reprise his role as stunt double Cliff Booth
- David Fincher set to direct Tarantino screenplay
- Leonardo DiCaprio’s involvement remains unclear
Brad Pitt is reportedly reprising his Oscar-winning role as Cliff Booth in a Once Upon A Time In Hollywood sequel.
Booth is the former stuntman and the best friend and stunt double of fading Hollywood actor Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
The news broke via The Playlist on April Fool’s Day, which naturally raised eyebrows, but the story appears to have substance to it.
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David Fincher, who directed Pitt in the crime thriller Se7en (1995), Fight Club (1999), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) looks set to reunite with the actor as director once again. The project is based on a script by Quentin Tarantino.
Tarantino has given Fincher his blessing
Tarantino has given Fincher his blessing on the project and the currently untitled Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up will be heading to Netflix.
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Fincher has an exclusive film deal with the streaming giant. He was heavily involved in House of Cards (2013–2018), Netflix’s first major original series, where he served as an executive producer and directed the first two episodes.
The screenplay by Tarantino is said to be an evolved version of the script he originally wrote for The Movie Critic – a project once intended to be his 10th and final film before ultimately being shelved.
It is unknown why Tarantino parked The Movie Critic, but it was said to be set in the 1970s, with the story focusing on a movie reviewer for a pornographic magazine. It would have featured Pitt returning as Booth. The film’s working title likely corresponded to Booth’s passion for watching TV.
Sources say Netflix paid $20 million to acquire the screenplay with an expected $200 million budget. Shooting for the film is set to get underway in California in July.
What’s next for Cliff Booth?
There’s a lot that can be explored with Booth’s character – and many unanswered questions.
His career and reputation suffered a major decline as a result of rumors claiming he had killed his wife, Billie. He allegedly shot her with a speargun on a boating trip, after she started complaining, but this is never confirmed nor denied in the movie.
The former World War II soldier also kills a trio of Manson family members after they break into Dalton’s house and find Cliff, who is high on acid at the time. One of those unfortunate victims is played by Mikey Madison, who just won the Oscar for Anora.
Also, it’s unclear whether Booth will reunite with DiCaprio’s Dalton. DiCaprio is in talks to star in an Evel Knievel movie for Paramount that is to shoot this summer.
Tarantino has a unique deal in which he has an ownership stake in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which increases every year for 20 years, when the movie reverts to him. Therefore, the filmmaker owns the characters in the movie – and in other movies as well. As this is the case, it’s being suggested that Fincher’s project is not considered a sequel or prequel, other than featuring Booth.
