For a while now, Quentin Tarantino has made it clear that his 10th movie would be his last. Or that, if he reached his 60th birthday beforehand, he would step back from directing movies altogether. Around his 60th (27 March), Tarantino maintained that he would indeed be fulfilling that 10-film promise. While many fans hoped the director would team up with Uma Thurman for a sequel to 2004’s Kill Bill: Volume 2 (and there were whispers of Maya Hawke joining the production along with her mother), the director shot these down in a new interview, confirming that his next and final work will be a project set in 70s Los Angeles called The Movie Critic.
After the project — which is still in early stages of development — was first announced via The Hollywood Reporter, rumours swirled that it would be specifically about renowned critic Pauline Kael, with Cate Blanchett once again going into TÁR-mode to take on the role. Now, through various interviews, Tarantino has cleared up a few of the rumours surrounding the plot. And even if the SAG-AFTRA strike is still ongoing, there are rumours that a famed collaborator was about to sign on the dotted line to join the new project.
Here’s everything we know so far about The Movie Critic.
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What’s the plot of The Movie Critic?
Right now, plot details are being kept mostly under wraps. At a recent Q&A event at the Grand Rex Theatre in Paris, Tarantino confirmed the movie would be set in 1977 specifically, a big year for cinema that gave us Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It was also the period that saw the rise of filmmakers who charged the American New Wave of Cinema, such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola and Dennis Hopper.
It seems like the film will be through the eyes of a movie critic, given the title, and the fraught relationship they have with Hollywood. Rumours swirled that the critic protagonist would be Pauline Kael, a renowned critic and essayist whose fiery attitude made her a lot of enemies in 70s Hollywood. But Tarantino has personally dispelled these; most recently saying that his protagonist will most closely resemble Travis Bickle, the anti-hero main character of Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (if he were a film critic).
During a Q&A at the Cannes Film Festival, the auteur also mentioned American radio anchor Howard Stern as inspiration for the witty, cynical character. “Think about Travis’ diary entries,” he said. “The magazine critic was very, very funny. He was very rude, you know. He used bad words. But he was really funny. He was rude as hell.”
Who is in the cast of The Movie Critic?
Right now, no actors have been formally attached to the film, but Tarantino has his faves: Samuel L Jackson, Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Uma Thurman have all worked with him more than once.
A rumour circulated by Daniel Richtman suggests that, shortly before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Leonardo DiCaprio was offered a part in The Movie Critic, but talks were halted as soon as the strike came into effect. Though we have no way of confirming that rumour as of yet, it wouldn’t be surprising considering their past collaborations.
Barbie star Margot Robbie, who he worked with on Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, is also rumoured to be a name in the conversation.
When will The Movie Critic be released?
Unconfirmed! Right now, Tarantino is still shopping the film about to major studios in Hollywood. Sony Pictures distributed his last film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and it was a big hit. It’s likely he will link up with them again, and maybe, if it’s ready in time, follow the same path that movie did, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, potentially in 2025.
This piece has been continually updated with new information and republished.