Ever sinceOnce Upon A Time in Hollywoodhit theaters in the summer of 2019,Quentin Tarantinohas made it very clear that he only intends to make one more film, as he wants to ensure that his career ends on a high note. The pressure that Tarantino has put on himself has seemingly led to some false starts, as he decided tocancel the production ofThe Movie Criticafter getting cold feet. Even though what he actually intends to direct next is still unclear, a sunrise announcement revealed thatDavid Fincherwould bedirecting a sequel toOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood,which would featureBrad Pittreprising his Academy Award-winning role as the stuntman Cliff Booth. Although the prospect of anyone else continuing this very specific story may seem unusual,Tarantino would benefit from letting other directors helm scripts he has written.
Tarantino’s Scripts Have Been Adapted by Great Filmmakers
AlthoughReservoir Dogsannounced him as one of the most singular voices in American filmmaking,Tarantino wrote several great films that were made by other directors. While these films featured the trademark snarky dialogue, popular culture references, and shocking plot twists that Tarantino is known for,they also inherited the stylistic hallmarks from their respective directors;Natural Born Killersfeatured the political paranoia thatOliver Stonehad mastered,True Romancehad all of the kinetic energy of aTony Scottfilm, andFrom Dusk Till Dawnincluded the Western overtonesand horrific imagery that fans ofRobert Rodriguezhad come to expect. Tarantino would never have enough time in his entire lifetime to direct all the great ideas he has had for different films, so it makes sense that he would want to pass some of them off to other filmmakers he admires.
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Fincher is particularly well-suited to helm Tarantino’s material, as they both emerged from the 1990s as defiant, formula-breaking storytellers who featured transgressive content and broke down the barriers of genre. Although Fincher has had a track record of success that is equivalent to that of Tarantino, he doesn’t write his own material, making him the ideal choice to focus on a great script. Fincher also has a pre-existing relationship with Pitt, who he directed to some of his best performances inSe7en,Fight Club,andThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The controversies surrounding Fincher’s films and their violent content ensure that he wouldn’t shy away from anything Tarantino had crafted for his Cliff Booth story; however, Fincher also proved withMankthat he’s interested intelling stories about the industry, which would presumably be a significant theme within a continuation ofOnce Upon A Time in Hollywood.
Quentin Tarantino Shouldn’t Limit Himself To Directing
Tarantino shouldn’t have to cut off his passion for filmmakingsimply because he wants to have a perfect filmography. It’s understandable if he wants to take personal time to raise a family and truly focus on ending his directorial career on his own terms, but that shouldn’t mean that the other stories that he has developed aren’t worth telling. Giving Tarantino’s work to other directors may alleviate the pressure he has put upon himself to make a perfect final film, as he can divide his ideas across several other projects that can be more niche in focus. It is evident that Tarantino has many ideasabout the characters that he has already developed,but is unlikely to make any direct sequels. It would be exciting to see other Tarantino icons, like Cliff Booth, return in other films, even if they aren’t directed by the man himself.
Having a fresh perspective on Tarantino’s work is a good thing, as while his films have been acclaimed for being entirely uncompromising, they also have received criticism for being overindulgent. This certainly does not mean thatTarantino should have to reign himself in, but another filmmaker might have a different way of approaching his stories that has a more focused approach. Many of the best films in history are the result of collaborative creativity between directors and writers with different perspectives; there’s potential for Tarantino to launch a whole new era of his career by allowing other voices to helm his stories.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
