Quentin Tarantino is setting up shop on Cielo Drive, according to multiple reports. The filmmaker is finishing work on a screenplay about one of the most heinous and tragic crimes in Hollywood history — the Charles Manson murders. He will reportedly direct as well.
News of the film was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Longtime Tarantino collaborators and champions Harvey and Bob Weinstein are involved in the process, though its unclear if the eponymous production company is on board to finance and release.
Representatives for Tarantino and The Weinstein Company did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
A-list actors are being courted for prime roles in the conceit, which will largely cover the most famous killings ordered by the cult leader: the murders of Sharon Tate, celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Folger and her love Wojciech Frykowski. The crime occurred at the home of Tate’s husband Roman Polanski, nestled in Los Angeles’ Benedict Canyon on Cielo Drive.
Tarantino has not made a film since 2015’s “The Hateful Eight.” Notoriously insular and old fashioned, any project from the director is of interest to film fans, but source material like this could have huge commercial appeal given the crimes’ staying power in pop culture.
Producer Ryan Murphy (“American Crime Story,” “American Horror Story”) has spoken often of his attempts to secure life rights for victims of Manson and his followers, with the intention of turning the crime into an entire season of AHS.
Tarantino is repped by WME and Lavely & Singer. He is a five-time Oscar nominee, with two wins in the Best Original Screenplay category for “Pulp Fiction” and “Django Unchained.”