Despite some recent controversy surrounding Quentin Tarantino, his connection to Harvey Weinstein, and his treatment of Uma Thurman on the set of Kill Bill, the buzz around his next film is apparently still of interest to folks in Hollywood. The film itself hasn’t been without its own controversy stemming from the director’s comments about Roman Polanski and the sexual accusations against him, but also due to its apparent focus on the murder of Sharon Tate in 1969.
All that aside, the actual plot details weren’t known about the film and it was made clear that this was not a Charles Manson film. Now we know the Tate connection to the film and what the film will focus on according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sony Pictures announced the film on Wednesday, revealing the title as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — a nice nod to Sergio Leone — and confirming some plot details along with the involvement of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as the leads:
Tarantino describes it as “a story that takes place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippy Hollywood. The two lead characters are Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), former star of a Western TV series, and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Both are struggling to make it in a Hollywood they don’t recognize anymore. But Rick has a very famous next-door neighbor…Sharon Tate.”
It seems like there is a lot to grab onto with this strategy at handling the story. It could easily be some sort of goofy parody, like some Coen Brothers film, but it would seem like Tarantino is going in a serious direction. There’s also the changing landscape of Hollywood from the big studio films to the “New Hollywood” of the ’70s, something Tarantino hints at according to The Hollywood Reporter:
“I’ve been working on this script for five years, as well as living in Los Angeles County most of my life, including in 1969, when I was seven years old,” Tarantino said Wednesday in a statement. “I’m very excited to tell this story of an L.A. and a Hollywood that don’t exist anymore. And I couldn’t be happier about the dynamic teaming of DiCaprio and Pitt as Rick and Cliff.”
Along with Pitt and DiCaprio, Margot Robbie has been rumored for the Tate role and there were also rumored spots for Tom Cruise and Al Pacino. Whether they make it into the film isn’t confirmed yet, but the film is starting to come together for its August 2019 release.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
