New details have emerged about David Fincher’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel which we shouldn’t be calling a sequel.
It was revealed last week that David Fincher is set to direct Brad Pitt in a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood from a script by Quentin Tarantino which will premiere on Netflix. Given that the news dropped on April Fools’ Day, many considered it to be a bit of a joke, but it’s true. Some new details about the project have now emerged. During a recent episode of The Big Picture podcast, hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins discussed the project, with Fennessey (who knows Tarantino) confirming that “it seems like this movie is actually happening.“
“David Fincher’s laundry list of movies that have never made it to the big screen or to Netflix streaming service is pretty long,” Fennessey said. “I don’t know if this is like a locked picture that is going into production in July. It seems like it is.“
He continued, “This probably should not be thought of as a sequel. It should be thought of as a follow-up that is connected to, but not the same as — the example that was cited to me was, think about how The Big Sleep, the Raymond Chandler adaptation starring Humphrey Bogart, is in the same world as Farewell, My Lovely, the 1975 Robert Mitchum movie, because they play the same character in that movie. But it’s different actors, different directors, and a different time in the storyline. They’re different, they are not really sequels.“
Fennessey added that the project “will be like the further adventures of Cliff Booth, is my understanding of it. The only other important information that I’ve learned, that I think is confirmed, is that the movie takes place in 1977, which is roughly eight years after the events of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. So a different time in Cliff Booth’s life.” It’s also been rumoured that Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to appear as Rick Dalton, but it would likely be a small role if it happens at all.
While it certainly seems like the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel (or follow-up) is going to happen, Fincher has a lot more unrealized projects than completed ones. He has a number of projects in the air, including Bitterroot, a western crime thriller that reportedly revolves around an elderly rancher whose life savings have been stolen. He turns to robbing banks and hunting down the thieves while being pursued by his son, the sheriff. There’s also an English-language Squid Game series, a potential remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, and a Chinatown prequel series which was scripted by the late Robert Towne.
