What was supposed to be Quentin Tarantino’s tenth and final film, The Movie Critic, was all set to go, but it appears the Oscar winner has decided to pull the plug on himself.
Although he is only 61 and coming off Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), easily his best movie since 1997’s Jackie Brown, Tarantino says his next film will be his last. His reasoning, per numerous reports, is that he wants a perfect filmography and believes that aging directors tend to lose their mojo. While there are exceptions, he’s not wrong, but 61 isn’t what it was when John Ford and Don Siegel were that age.
The idea behind The Movie Critic was a return to 1970s Hollywood with a story “based on a guy who really lived but was never really famous, and he used to write movie reviews for a porno rag.” Brad Pitt was all set to star. Sony was all set to fund. Shooting was slated to begin this fall. Then…
Quentin Tarantino’s movies are always full of surprises, and here is one about The Movie Critic we did not expect. Deadline can reveal that Tarantino has dropped the film as his 10th and final project. He simply changed his mind, Deadline has been told.
Tarantino was going to have Brad Pitt as the principal star, which would have marked their third teaming after Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. There were rumors that many from the casts of his past films might take part, and Sony was preparing to make the film after doing such a superb job on the last one.
If this sounds familiar, that’s because Tarantino did the same thing with The Hateful Eight ten years ago. After the script leaked, he announced he was dropping the project. Unfortunately, he changed his mind, and the result was the worst movie in his stable, not called Death Proof.
So.
Tarantino might change his mind again and decide to make The Movie Critic. Announcing he’s changed his mind is also a pretty shrewd way to garner free publicity. Hopefully, he is not psyching himself out with all the attention he’s generating about this being his “tenth and final” film. That kind of pressure can make even the most seasoned and talented artist (Tarantino is both) a tad neurotic.
If he doesn’t change his mind and make the movie, maybe we will see The Movie Critic as a novel. Tarantino’s novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is excellent.
According to Deadline, even though it’s been five years since Hollywood, Tarantino is “going back to the drawing board to figure out what that final movie will be.”
Something else I hope Tarantino changes his mind about is only making ten movies. Other than Christopher Nolan, he’s the only talented writer-director capable of making original, intelligent, big-budget movies. He also refuses to cater to the politics of the day, especially this anti-art woke nonsense. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was a finger in the eye of that crowd, and the result was both a box office hit and a timeless masterpiece (my review).
Here’s my ranking of Tarantino’s five best movies:
- Jackie Brown (1997)
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
- Pulp Fiction (1994)
- Reservoir Dogs (1992)
- Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
You might disagree, and that’s okay… This is America, where you have the right to be wrong.
John Nolte’s first and last novel, Borrowed Time, is winning five-star raves from everyday readers. You can read an excerpt here and an in-depth review here. Also available in hardcover on Kindle and Audiobook.