You can wash away all the doubts that surrounded Quentin Tarantino's next movie over at Sony.
Variety is reporting via Sony Pictures that Brad Pitt, and Leonard DiCaprio, ahave been cast in the Sharon Tate, Charles Manson-inspired film, "Once Upon ATime In Hollywood," which will be written and directed by QT. Although Tarantino that the movie is “a story that takes place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippy Hollywood.”
According to The Playlist: "Leonardo DiCaprio will play Rick Dalton, former star of a western TV series, while Brad Pitt will be his longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth."
The Pitt role was once touted to go to Tom Cruise, but, alas, that isn't going to happen.
“I’ve been working on this script for five years, as well as living in Los Angeles County most of my life, including in 1969, when I was 7 years old,” Tarantino said in a statement. “I’m very excited to tell this story of an L.A., and a Hollywood that don’t exist anymore. And I couldn’t be happier about the dynamic teaming of DiCaprio & Pitt as Rick & Cliff.”
The reason for this suprising news is that it comes after Uma Thurman, interviewed by the NYT, accused the director of forcing her to do a car stunt, which left her injured with permanent chronic pain. few days later a 2003 interview on “The Howard Stern Show” resurfaced which had Tarantino claiming that Samantha Geimer, who was raped by Roman Polanski when she was 13 years-old, “wanted to have it….she was down with this.” QT apologized for both incidents, but it was a matter of too little too late for many on social media and in the industry.
The film is no doubt a risk for Sony to embark on, forget about QT's recent controversies, the fact that the film will have Polanski as a side character is also a badly-timed coincidence. It also costs upwards of $100 million, and the fact that it will have to earn $375M to break even is something that should be considered here. “Django Unchained,” earned $425 million worldwide. “Inglourious Basterds,” $321 million worldwide, but Tarantino’s last movie, “The Hateful Eight,” earned a very tepid $155 million globally. I just can't see the studio moving along with this project, but who knows.
“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood “will be released on August 9, 2019,
This is all Rothman’s idea, by the way. He’s going to pour millions into this campaign because he believes “Brand New Day” is a great movie.