David Fincher to Direct ‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood’ Sequel — Brad Pitt to Star & Written By Quentin Tarantino

UPDATE: Confirmed by Deadline, Variety and THR.

The source for this story claims it isn’t an April Fools joke. Do you believe them? This is the absolute worst day to drop a story such as this one.

Last week, I sprinkled some intel that David Fincher would be directing a mysterious sequel to a film that wasn’t his. Brad Pitt was set to star. I don’t think any of your guesses gave the correct answer.

Here’s The Playlist reporting that Fincher is set to direct Pitt in a “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” sequel written by Quentin Tarantino. Pitt is set to reprise his Oscar-winning role as Cliff Booth.

This is the screenplay that Tarantino’s “The Movie Critic” evolved into. The InSneider additionally reports that Leonardo DiCaprio might appear in a small cameo. Margot Robbie is interested in returning as well.

The project is being set up at Netflix, where Fincher has a first-look deal and aims to shoot the sequel this July. The budget is said to be around $200M. Pitt and Fincher have worked on three films together: “Se7en,” “Fight Club” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

If you’ll recall, although “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” was distributed and produced by Sony, Tarantino struck a unique deal with the studio that saw him retaining most of the rights to the film. This would explain why the sequel isn’t at Sony …

Fincher recently renewed his Netflix contract until 2027 and has at least four different projects in various stages of development, including “Bitterroot,” “Squid Game: America” and his “Chinatown” prequel. He’s released two films with the streamer: 2020’s “Mank” and 2023’s “The Killer.”

UPDATE: Okay, I have some more details about this one. It’s the film Tarantino was supposed to shoot last year, formerly known as “The Movie Critic.” Word is that Tarantino rewrote the script, had a new draft and then, quite simply, had a change of heart. However, Pitt loved the script so much that he didn’t want it to waste away unfilmed.

An idea suddenly sparked. Having watched “The Killer,” which he loved and went as far as to call “one of the best films he’s seen this decade,” Tarantino gave his blessings for Fincher to take over the project, and with Pitt firmly committed, “it all came together very quickly.”