David Fincher and Quentin Tarantino are two of the most iconic filmmakers of all time. Collectively, their movies have grossed close to $4 billion worldwide and earned numerous Oscar wins and countless more nominations. Until now, the two have never worked together, but that is about to change very soon.
In 2026, Fincher will be directing Brad Pitt in a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up, from a script by Tarantino. The news officially broke on April 1, 2025, leading many to question if it was an April Fool’s prank of sorts. However, it is by no means a joke, and is in fact a legitimate movie that will be heading to Netflix. So, here’s everything we know so far and what this film potentially means for the legacy of Quentin Tarantino.
What Is the Plot of this Mega Project?
Quentin Tarantino’s ninth studio movie Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood landed in movie theaters in 2019. Set against the backdrop of Hollywood in 1969, this hangout movie blends crime, comedy, and drama, amid the events of the infamous Manson murders at Cielo Drive. However, Tarantino opted to change the course of history and see Brad Pitt’s stuntman character Cliff Booth save the day and take out the evil cult members. Pitt delivered an incredibly nuanced rendition as Cliff, the righthand man of faded Hollywood star Rick Dalton (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). As a war veteran, tough-as-nails stuntman, and rumored murderer, Pitt had a plethora of layers to uncover in his role, which he did so impeccably. To that, he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and became a favourite character of the movie for many diehard Tarantino fans.
David Fincher’s Netflix original follow-up movie is so far untitled, however, it has been confirmed that the story will focus on Cliff Booth as the lead protagonist. There are no available plot details as of yet, but the film is listed on IMDB as a comedy/crime/drama, akin with the original Tarantino movie. While plot details are being kept tightly under wraps, there is plenty to be dissected once you delve into how the movie came about.
How David Fincher Will Stay True to Tarantino’s Vision
Although Quentin Tarantino began his career as a writer for hire, his directorial work has since overshadowed these projects. After selling the scripts for True Romance and Natural Born Killers, the two-time Oscar winner embarked on a path of full creative control, writing and directing all of his movies. He has only deviated from this on two occasions – penning the script for 1996’s From Dusk Till Dawn, and writing and directing his own segment on the anthology movie Four Rooms.
In recent years, Tarantino has been on record for saying he will only make one more movie and then retire from filmmaking altogether to pursue other creative endeavours. Initially, this final outing was set to be “The Movie Critic“. The film entered early stages of production and Brad Pitt was set to reprise his role as Cliff Booth. However, Tarantino scrapped the project completely. Yet, he kept writing. The original script for The Movie Critic was focused on a writer working for a fictional porn magazine in the late 1970s, with Paul Walter Hauser in the running for the lead role. Pitt’s Cliff Booth was rumored to be a small role, potentially a cameo. However, after Tarantino scrapped the project, he morphed Cliff’s story into a full picture. But yet again, he decided he didn’t want to make the movie.
Reportedly, after Pitt read the screenplay and loved it, he got Tarantino’s blessing to show the script to David Fincher. Tarantino has praised Fincher’s work many times in the past, calling The Social Network the best movie of 2010. Both directors have worked with Pitt on numerous occasions in critically acclaimed movies. So, with that in mind, it’s easy to see why Tarantino has trust in Fincher to do his screenplay justice. Fincher is one of the best directors for hire in Hollywood and is known for staying true to the material of the screenplay, which surely bodes well for Tarantino, a writer who is meticulous about his every written word making it to the silver screen.
Will This Count as Quentin Tarantino’s Final Movie?
Quentin Tarantino is staying firm on his stance that his tenth movie will be his last. He has been questioned on the matter many time and gives the same answer every time – “10 and out”. With that said, it’s understandable why he is being extremely careful with the project he chooses to be his final one. According to Deadline, Tarantino will still go ahead with one more film, with Sony being the distributor. However, firstly, he is finalizing the script for his first ever stage play.
David Fincher‘s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood follow-up is set to be a Netflix original, considering he is currently in an exclusive deal with the streaming giant. So, it seems almost impossible that Tarantino would allow his final ever movie to be confined to a streaming service. Plus, Tarantino’s countdown of movies only exist within the ones he has directed. For instance, he does not count From Dusk Till Dawn or Four Rooms as part of his filmmaking legacy. For now, nobody knows what Tarantino’s final film will be, maybe he doesn’t know himself yet. But one things fo sure – it won’t be the Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood sequel.
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