As anticipation builds for David Fincher’s “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” Puck’s Matt Belloni has been examining the financial details behind the highly anticipated Netflix project.
The film, a follow-up to “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” that filmed in California last year, reportedly carries hefty above-the-line expenses. Sources say Brad Pitt is earning $40M to star, Fincher will receive $20M to direct, and Quentin Tarantino was paid $20M for the screenplay while also keeping ownership of the underlying material.
Altogether, these payments total $80M in above-the-line costs. Furthermore, Leonardo DiCaprio was reportedly offered $3M for a cameo role but declined to take part. Regardless, “Cliff Booth” is rumored to carry a total budget of around $200M.
Fincher breaking into the “$20 Million Club” is an extremely rare feat for a director — Zach Cregger recently entered the club, as that’s reportedly how much he was paid to direct the upcoming “Resident Evil.” Only a handful of filmmakers command an upfront payday so large that the check alone could bankroll three Sundance darlings.
Peter Jackson set the modern benchmark back in 2005 with “King Kong” — $20M upfront plus a staggering 20% of the gross. Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”) and Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”) have kept the tradition alive in recent years. Martin Scorsese walked away with $20M from Netflix for “The Irishman.” Rian Johnson shattered the ceiling with a reported $100M for his two “Knives Out” sequels. James Cameron? $30M upfront for “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Tarantino banked $20M from Sony for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
The rest of the “Cliff Booth” cast includes Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Corey Fogelmanis, and Karren Karagulian. This is a big movie, and it would be a real shame if it doesn’t receive a proper theatrical rollout from Netflix.
There’s no release date just yet, but Deadline recently hinted at an August rollout.
Lars Von Trier is working on the 15th—and likely final—film of his career, “After,” and according to his producer, Peter Aalbæk Jensen, the screenplay is supposed to be completed this month