Quentin Tarantino reveals why his final movie is on hold

If you thought Quentin Tarantino was taking his sweet time between films, you’re absolutely right. It’s now been over seven years since "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" landed, and he hasn’t released a new feature since. That gap is actually the biggest break of his whole career – yes, even bigger than the six-year pause between "Jackie Brown" and the first "Kill Bill".

Seven years have passed since Tarantino’s last movie release.

Some of that delay is down to Tarantino’s very public promise: film number ten will be his last. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know he’d once planned to make "The Movie Critic" as his send-off, but that all went out the window in 2024. Plans shifted, as they do, and now his focus is on something completely different – and not even for the big screen, at least at first.

From Screen to Stage

Tarantino’s next venture is "The Popinjay Cavalier", a stage play he’s billing as a full-on swashbuckling farce. Sacha Baron Cohen has landed the lead, so expect some proper, over-the-top antics. Broadway previews are set to kick off in February 2027. Here’s the key point: even though Tarantino hinted about possibly adapting "The Popinjay Cavalier" into a film later, all signs point to him keeping it as his last project, at least for now. Either way, we’re looking at a lengthy wait before he’s back in cinemas.

He recently turned up on the Graham Norton Show (as you do) and confirmed – yes, he has actually written a script for his next film. But if you thought he’d spill the plot or timing, not a chance. Instead, he made it clear he’s in no hurry whatsoever. Here’s how he explained that whole life-after-theatre situation on telly:

Here’s what Tarantino told Graham Norton about the future: "I've written a script that I really like, but I want to do the play and see who I am then I'll then go back and spend time with my family and live a little and then see what I want to do."

So, in short, don’t be surprised if there’s another major gap before film ten ever gets off the ground – if it happens at all.

Other Tarantino Projects

No new film for a while doesn’t mean Tarantino’s not keeping busy elsewhere. One project that’s well underway: he’s penned a script for a spinoff to "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", zeroing in on Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth. This one’s titled "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth", and – weird twist – he’s not directing it. That job’s gone to David Fincher, with Netflix set to distribute. Here’s how the release works: IMAX cinemas get it first on 25 November 2026, ahead of a streaming debut on 23 December. That’s a big swing for a character who started as a glorified stuntman.

• Sony’s also moving ahead with a "Django/Zorro" crossover, pulling from the comic Tarantino co-wrote with Matt Wagner. Back in 2022, he tried to get a film version going (he even drafted in comedian Jerrod Carmichael to help), but it stalled out and became a comic instead. Fast-forward to April 2026: Sony hired Brian Helgeland to script a new adaptation, though Tarantino’s only involvement now is a thumbs-up from the sidelines.

Here’s the fun, slightly mad irony of it all: if Tarantino takes proper time off after "The Popinjay Cavalier", we may not see another proper Tarantino film in the 2020s at all – unless you’re counting "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair", which is more director’s-cut remix than original release.

Still, the man’s reputation isn’t going anywhere. Since kicking off with "Reservoir Dogs" back in 1992, Tarantino’s built a legacy of very R-rated, distinctly adult movies that somehow pulled in proper box office numbers and loads of awards cred. Whenever that final film does finally arrive, anyone who cares about cinema will be watching closely — whenever it turns up.