A ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ Deleted Scene Has A ‘Pulp Fiction’ Connection

Before Marvel made billions with the concept, there was the Tarantino Cinematic Universe. Quentin Tarantino’s movies all exist in a shared universe (technically, universes), a theory that the director himself confirmed a few years ago. “There’s the realer than real universe, alright, and all the characters inhabit that one. But then there’s this movie universe,” he said. “And so From Dusk Till Dawn, Kill Bill, they all take place in this special movie universe. So basically when the characters of Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, when they go to the movies, Kill Bill is what they go to see. From Dusk Till Dawn is what they see.” One easy-to-spot connection between nearly all his films, from Pulp Fiction to Inglourious Basterds to The Hateful Eight, is Red Apple cigarettes. The fictional brand also pops up in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (“Better drag, more flavor, less throat burn”), but according to the Hollywood Reporter, bonus Red Apple content was filmed, but left out of the theatrical cut. That’s what Blu-ray extras are for:

In the faux cigarette commercial, different Red Apple options are introduced, such as Red Apple Lites and Red Apple Menthol. At the end of commercial, James Marsden appears playing a young Burt Reynolds endorsing the brand. There is another commercial for Red Apple that made it into the film, which stars Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), occurring during the end credits.

Burt Reynolds — not Sonic the Hedgehog‘s James Marsden playing Burt Reynolds, but Gator and Smokey and the Bandit star Burt Reynolds — was the original choice to play ranch owner George Spahn, but he died before the unsettling Spahn Ranch scene could be shot. Bruce Dern took over the role, but Reynolds’ influence can still be felt in the film.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

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