Quentin Tarantino has reportedly abandoned plans for his 10th and final film, ‘The Movie Critic,’ according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter (THR). The news comes after initial reports last week that Tarantino had shocked the industry by scrapping the project. THR’s report provides intriguing details about the film’s development, potential cast, and the reasons behind its demise. The article suggests that Tarantino made a creative pivot, aligning with Deadline’s report that initially broke the news. While no studio was publicly confirmed to distribute the film, THR reports that Sony Pictures was firmly on board to partner with Tarantino on ‘The Movie Critic’ following their successful collaboration on 2019’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Sony reportedly remains supportive of Tarantino and intends to back his future projects, despite the setback. One potential reason for the project’s demise may have been the pressure surrounding Tarantino’s retirement plans. He has stated multiple times that he plans to retire from filmmaking after 10 films (although he considers ‘Kill Bill’ one movie despite its two-part release). This set high expectations for what could be his final effort. The sources who spoke to THR did not confirm a specific reason for Tarantino’s decision to abandon ‘The Movie Critic’ as his swan song, only stating that he had become more excited about other ideas. ‘The Movie Critic’ reportedly underwent several rewrites as Tarantino explored different directions. One idea was to create a ‘Tarantino goodbye meta-verse,’ featuring stars and characters from his past films. The report states that at one point, the film evolved into something resembling a spinoff of ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ with Brad Pitt set to reprise his role as Cliff Booth. Another idea reportedly involved characters interacting with a young aspiring filmmaker at a movie theater, possibly representing Tarantino’s own teenage experience working at a porn theater. Casting rumors swirled around the project, including a possible collaboration with Tom Cruise. However, THR reports that Cruise and Tarantino had not met to discuss a role. Olivia Wilde did reportedly meet with Tarantino earlier this year, though the nature of their meeting remains unclear. Based on Tarantino’s previous comments, ‘The Movie Critic’ was to follow a character inspired by a real-life writer whose reviews blended ‘early Howard Stern’ and ‘what Travis Bickle [Robert DeNiro’s character in Taxi Driver] might be if he were a film critic.’ While it’s uncertain what Tarantino will pursue next, ‘The Movie Critic’ joins a list of shelved projects from the ‘Pulp Fiction’ filmmaker, including an R-rated ‘Star Trek’ film.
Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Movie Critic’ Scrapped: Details Emerge
