Quentin Tarantino: Brad Pitt, Leo DiCaprio Are the New Robert Redford and Paul Newman

CinemaCon 2018: In surprise appearance, director talks up his next film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

leonardo dicaprio brad pitt tarantino
Getty Images

In an exciting but entirely predictable humblebrag, Sony Pictures lured their new creative partner Quentin Tarantino to CinemaCon 2018, where the movie-obsessed director charmed thousands of American exhibitors.

Appearing with his leading man Leonardo DiCaprio, Tarantino walked out onto The Forum stage at Caesar’s Palace with nary a concept image or additional cast to announce for his upcoming tenth film — “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” — which Sony snatched from a wide field of competitors after the fall of Tarantino’s longtime distribution partner Harvey Weinstein.

“Sony and myself will be coming to the theaters with the most exciting star dynamic duo since Robert Redford and Paul Newman,” Tarantino promised the crowd.

He’s referring to his other massive star, Brad Pitt, who will lead the project with DiCaprio. The men will play a faded TV star and his live-in stunt double searching for relevance in a changing Hollywood landscape in 1969.

Oh, and their neighbors are a nice couple named Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate.

“It takes place at the advent of the counterculture explosion. It takes place at the time of the hippie revolution and the height of new Hollywood,” Tarantino said.

He had no further details but promised that during production he would be transforming Los Angeles “street by street, block by block” to model exteriors in step with the period.

Sony’s Motion Picture Group President Tom Rothman called Tarantino’s script “the best I’ve had the privilege to read.”

DiCaprio didn’t have much to add, finding it difficult to speak at length about a film that has yet to shoot “a single frame.”

The conversation ended with a rousing thank you from Tarantino to the theater owners for keeping the cinematic experience where it belongs –in their theater.

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” hasn’t begun principal photography yet, but it has a release date.

The new Butch and Sundance will be coming at you on August 9, 2019.

Comments