Harper Perennial debuts a trailer for the novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that features unseen footage from the Quentin Tarantino film. Written and directed by the two-time Oscar winner, the film is set in 1969 Los Angeles and centers on the lives of fading character actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth as they navigate the evolving film industry in the final moments of Hollywood's golden age. It also explores the life of Sharon Tate in the time leading up to the infamous Charles Manson murders.
The period dramedy featured an ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino, Margaret Qualley, Damon Herriman, Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning, Luke Perry, and Kurt Russell. The film was a strong hit upon release, grossing over $374 million worldwide and scoring rave reviews from critics and garnering 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and winning for Best Supporting Actor for Pitt and Best Production Design. Following the film's release, it was announced that not only was Tarantino developing a potential spin-off series, Bounty Law, but he had also signed a two-year book deal with HarperCollins, the first of which would be a novelization of the award-winning film.
Just over six months after the novel was first announced, Harper Perennial has unveiled the first trailer for the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood adaptation. To build anticipation for the book, the trailer features plenty of footage not previously seen in the film, including a lot more dialogue for Herriman's Charles Manson. Check out the trailer below:
More than just confirming the novel's impending release, the trailer also indicates that the reported four-hour cut of the film could be coming in the near future. Tarantino previously revealed the extended version of the film would likely arrive sometime this year and with the novelization right around the corner, it would make sense to release the extended cut soon to coincide with the book release and get more eyes on both. With the filmmaker having already worked with Netflix on an extended version of The Hateful Eight and the streaming platform's recent deal with Sony, it would make sense for the three to come together to bring this expanded vision to life.
Even if the four-hour cut of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood doesn't see the light of day this year, the novel should hold plenty to draw fans into its pages. With Tarantino expanding on the backstory of Pitt's Cliff as well as describing the novel as a reimagining of the film, it could soar higher than its Oscar-winning source material. The novelization is set to hit shelves on June 29.
Source: Harper Perennial