Bruce Dern Reveals Tarantino Reprimanded Brad Pitt for Calling Cut After His Improv on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino fans have got one eye fixed on his so-called final film — and honestly, who knows what that will actually end up being — but here’s something a bit unexpected to tide you over: Brad Pitt is picking up Cliff Booth’s leather driving gloves again, this time in a film Tarantino wrote but isn’t directing. Instead, David Fincher (yes, that one) is in the director’s chair. It’s a proper follow-up to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and frankly, that’s not the sort of double-act you come across every day.

Netflix’s Big Plan for Booth — On the Big Screen (First)

If you thought this would quietly slip onto Netflix, think again. ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ is actually getting a full-on IMAX debut starting 25 November. It’ll be in cinemas for two weeks — not exactly a six-month blockbuster run, but enough time for fans to soak in every bit of Fincher’s cool, clinical style. The film then hops onto Netflix for its streaming launch on 23 December. Just in time for the weirdest possible bit of Christmas viewing.

What’s the Story Behind This Tarantino/Fincher/Pitt Hand-off?

Here’s where it gets a bit inside the sausage factory. Tarantino originally had a script for what was meant to be his swansong — rumours swirled it’d centere on a legendary film critic, but that idea got binned. Still, he had this Cliff Booth follow-up ready, and Brad Pitt wasn’t about to let it gather dust. Pitt actually went to Tarantino and floated the idea of someone else giving Cliff another go. Tarantino, being Tarantino, only agreed if the right person was steering. David Fincher’s name came up and, well, Fincher got the nod. So, it’s still got Tarantino’s writing, Pitt’s charm and fight skills, but Fincher calling the shots. No idea what those meetings looked like, but it’s probably the closest Hollywood’s come to a Venn diagram made out of egos and very large filmographies.

The Cast Line-up

• Brad Pitt returning as Cliff Booth (obviously, or what’s the point?)
• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
• Elizabeth Debicki
• Scott Caan
• Carla Gugino

That Odd On-set Moment: Pitt, Dern, and a Tarantino Rant

Now, if you thought Tarantino’s sets were all bloody mayhem and stylised dialogue, here’s something a bit less glamorous — and let’s be honest, a tad awkward. Bruce Dern, who played George Spahn in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, recently spilled about filming that tense Spahn Ranch scene with Pitt. What’s wild is that Dern improvised a line while Pitt’s character tried to suss out if he’d been murdered in his sleep or not. Pitt, apparently thrown off enough, actually called ‘cut’ on the take himself — which is sort of a cardinal sin on a Tarantino set. Tarantino’s reaction? Let’s just say he wasn’t pouring tea and offering biscuits.

'The look on Quentin’s face — I mean, he was insanely grave — and he said, "Brad, what did you just do?" [Pitt] said, "Well, I cut the camera." [Tarantino] said, "Never again in your life will you ever cut a camera or you’ll be dead in this business. That’s my domain. Don’t stop behaviour."'

Apparently, the issue was just that Dern went off-script, which threw Pitt out of sync. After Tarantino delivered his tell-off, Pitt’s only response was a very human 'Well, that wasn’t in the script what he said.' Which, to be fair, in Hollywood terms, is nearly grounds for a duel at dawn.

So there you go: a film with a wild creative family tree, a director hand-off worthy of a miniseries, and at least one memorable on-set telling-off. ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ looks set to be a weird cocktail of stylised violence, stylish direction, and, if we’re lucky, just a hint of high-wire improvisation (though, presumably, with a bit less button-pushing on Pitt’s part this time round).