This was no April Fool’s prank!
David Fincher is directing a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with Quentin Tarantino returning to write the follow-up to his Oscar-winning film. Variety confirms the project is being developed at Netflix under Fincher’s first-look deal. Brad Pitt will reprise his role as stuntman and possible wife-killer Cliff Booth.
This sequel is particularly unique—not just because one renowned director is helming a follow-up to another’s film, but also because the project is shifting from a theatrical release to a streaming platform. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was originally released by Sony Pictures in 2019, but Tarantino secured a deal to reclaim the film’s copyright after a set number of years. With the sequel now under Fincher’s Netflix deal, it appears Tarantino may have privately retained the rights.
The news comes after Tarantino scrapped The Movie Critic, which was set to be his 10th and final film. Pitt had been cast in the lead role, playing a film critic for a porn magazine—possibly a version of Cliff Booth, who, in Tarantino’s novelization, is revealed to be a movie buff.
Now, Pitt officially returns as Booth, reuniting with Fincher, with whom he made Se7en, Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. While it’s unclear if Leonardo DiCaprio or Margot Robbie will return, Fincher’s recent Netflix projects, Mank and The Killer, suggest this sequel will fit well within his signature style.
