Quentin Tarantino has a variety of projects in the works before his prophesied 10th film. Over the years, Tarantino has been pretty open about the plan to fold up his director’s chair after making his 10th feature film. This year’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was his 9th outing; his penultimate effort has everyone wondering if the end is nigh. The critical and commercial success of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood proves the Oscar-winning writer and director could quite possibly, be in his creative prime.
Tarantino's notion to step away once his filmography is complete stems from a desire to go out on top. Right now, there's no word on what his 10th movie will be (or when it could be released), but the director surely has no shortage of ideas. For instance, the Star Trek movie he's developing could still be on the table. As cinephiles await updates on what's next from Tarantino, it sounds like he'll be keeping busy with some projects that aren't films for the time being.
According to Variety, Tarantino elaborated upon his future to a crowded venue at the BAFTA: A Life in Pictures event Wednesday night. The director spoke about the time it took to make Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; once he was done writing, production on the movie did not start for quite some time. Instead of moving forward with that film, Tarantino felt the need to use his creative momentum for other projects.
“So I finished ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ finished that script, put it aside, and then I wrote a play. And then I wrote a five-episode TV series. And right now I’m writing a book and I’m hoping that I’ll be finished in three months. So the idea will be hopefully by March maybe I’ll be finished with the book – and then, theoretically, maybe I’ll do the play, and then theoretically I’ll do the TV show, and then by that point I’ll be thinking maybe what I’ll do for the 10th movie...There will be a 10th one, yes. I have no idea what it’s going to be. It’s going to be a little bit down the line.”
Given Tarantino’s proclivity for side projects, this diversion from his 10-film arc is not surprising. As a writer, Tarantino has famously produced more than enough content for his films and has had to find other ways to use leftover material. For example, his 2015 movie, The Hateful Eight was turned into a stage play as well as a Netflix miniseries (an extended version of the film with 4 parts). Tarantino's films tend to exceed an acceptable run time because he tends to envision them as larger projects from the get go. Inglorious Basterds was supposed to be six-hour series before it became a film and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was originally conceived as a novel. The latter received a re-release with over 10 minutes of new footage. Tarantino has even spoke about doing a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood spinoff based on the fictional television show, Bounty Law; however, there was no word on whether or not this was the TV series he alluded to at the BAFTA event.
“The way people are doing series now, it’s an idea that’s been in my head since the ’90s…and especially something that would all be written by me and all directed by me. I don’t know if I really want to spend nine months doing something like that, though. But I do have an idea for a series, but it wouldn’t be quite that epic a thing.”
One of the reason fans thought Tarantino was close to making the final film of his career was because of the poignancy of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; the movie serves as a love letter to cinema (and maybe a penultimate farewell). A 10th movie has been confirmed by Tarantino but it will be awhile before it sees the silver screen. Until then, it sounds like there will be a lot of Tarantino material to look forward to; those who find themselves upset with the prospect of there only being 10 Tarantino movies can take solace in what seems like the natural progression of the man's career. Whether it be in a theater, in a book, or on television, anyone who wants more Quentin Tarantino will always have somewhere to turn.
Source: Variety