Christopher Nolan calls Quentin Tarantino's 10-movie rule dangerous — and refuses to follow it

Christopher Nolan's never struck me as someone who shies away from having a frank opinion, so it wasn't much of a shock when he pitched in on that much-discussed Quentin Tarantino 'ten-movie' retirement business. Just ahead of Nolan's own Greek epic, The Odyssey, rolling out next week (yes, that soon — 17th July), he gave his two pence in The Telegraph about QT's headline-grabbing plan to quit after his tenth film. Frankly, Nolan's not convinced, and if we're honest, neither are most film fans who enjoy an ongoing supply of Tarantino eccentricities.

In Nolan's Words: Giving Up After Ten?

Here's the thing. Tarantino told the world ages ago — more than ten years back, which is scary enough — that he'd pack it all in once he'd directed his tenth feature. Ever since, that little declaration has floated around the industry like some sort of doomsday clock for cinephiles. Nolan tackled the topic head-on:

'I think it’s dangerous to look at it that specifically,' Nolan said of Tarantino's fixed cut-off. 'Quentin has his reasons, and I respect those enormously. But I’m hoping that he won’t stay true to them.'

So there you go — Nolan's rooting for a future with more Tarantino, and he doesn't really put much stock in the idea of cutting things off at a neat, round number.

Tarantino's Mysterious Tenth Film — Or Not

For those trying to keep score, Tarantino's ninth (and, at time of writing, still most recent) flick was Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which got a raucously positive reception back in 2019. You'd think he'd be itching to get number ten started, just to stick the landing on his self-imposed deal. Not so much, apparently.

Everyone thought the tenth was finally coming with a project called The Movie Critic; that one was meant to be a 1970s period piece, with Brad Pitt eyeing up a major role. California even sorted Tarantino out with a chunky $20 million tax credit. Then, quite abruptly, he binned the entire thing. Classic Tarantino curveball.

• Initial Plan: Film set in 1970s, starring Brad Pitt, called The Movie Critic
• Backing: $20 million California tax credit secured
• What happened? Tarantino ditched it, admitting he found zero excitement in pre-production, even though he rated the script

So, to sum it up: Tarantino's in director limbo, mulling over what (if anything) might be worthy of that big number ten and whether he'll even stick to retiring after all. Meanwhile, Nolan's hoping the man can be convinced to keep going, and honestly, who'd complain about having a few more Tarantino-shaped spanners in Hollywood's works?