Quentin Tarantino's currently-untitled ninth feature film has secured an official release date of August 9, 2019. The director's followup to The Hateful Eight has been making several headlines of late, ranging from its subject matter to its potentially star-studded cast. Originally thought to focus on the infamous Charles Manson murders, Tarantino later clarified his new project is more of an ensemble piece that explores Hollywood in the year 1969. Plot details indicate it's primarily about a TV actor looking to break into the movie business, with the Manson element more of a background aspect. Production is on track to begin next year.

This mysterious 1969 movie was at the center of an intense bidding war, following Tarantino leaving his old home The Weinstein Company in the wake of Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment scandal. Last month, Sony emerged victorious, and they wasted no time in getting their prized acquisition on the calendar. The film will arrive in the summer of 2019.

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Variety broke the news, saying that Tarantino's latest will now square off against Disney's Artemis Fowl adaptation. Of course, there should be plenty of room for both pictures at the box office that weekend, seeing that they target very different demographics. Artemis Fowl is geared for young-adult sci-fi fans, while 1969 (not the official title) will surely feature several of Tarantino's more adult-orientated sensibilities. All of the Oscar-winner's movies to date have been rated R, and that's unlikely to change this time around.

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With Sony in place as distributor and a release date scheduled, the most pressing matter that remains is putting together a cast. As alluded to earlier, Tarantino has his eyes set on several A-listers, including Margot Robbie (his top pick for Manson victim Sharon Tate), Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Tom Cruise. Given Tarantino's penchant for commercial and critical success (including the occasional Oscar win/nomination), it's no surprise there's so much top-tier talent interested in joining. Cruise would be a truly fascinating get for Tarantino, as it would mark something of a departure from the actor's current streak of big-budget genre fare. Maybe after the failure of The Mummy, working with an auteur like Tarantino has some appeal for Cruise. It will be interesting to see who the director ultimately goes with.

The last time a Tarantino film came out in the waning days of summer, it was 2009's Inglorious Basterds, which went on to become one of his biggest hits. It grossed $120.5 million domestically (second most in his career) and earned eight Oscar nominations (including one win). Surely, Sony will be hoping for similar results for 1969, and it's a safe bet things should turn out very well. This is already one of the more anticipated films of 2019, and it's only just started to come together. Tarantino's track record speaks for itself at this point, and his latest endeavor has the potential to be something truly special.

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Source: Variety