Quentin Tarantino Shares The 'Crazy' Reason He Walked Away From His Final Film, 'The Movie Critic'

Whenever there’s a Quentin Tarantino movie, cinemaholics know they are preparing for a wild ride of creative surprises. The two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker is known for delivering cult classics like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Inglourious Basterds, all of which continue to wow generations of fans and critics alike. So when Tarantino announced his tenth and final film, The Movie Critic, in 2023, Hollywood buzzed with a bittersweet excitement of getting to witness the genius at work one last time. 

However, in April 2024, Tarantino fans were left heartbroken when the filmmaker announced that he was pulling the plug on his final project. The highly anticipated film was supposed to be a spiritual sequel to the Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt starrer, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. After much speculation, the filmmaker has finally broken his silence on why he decided to scrap the project.

Quentin Tarantino breaks his silence on why he pulled the plug on his 10th and final film

In his appearance on The Church of Tarantino podcast on August 15, 2025, Tarantino shared that the decision to toss out The Movie Critic, which was supposed to be his final movie, was not because of ‘stage fright’ but for an unusual realisation.

Given his years of hiatus from filmmaking after delivering Oscar-worthy classics, fans had long speculated that Tarantino was scared to wrap up his career with a weaker film. However, the director shot down those rumours, saying that he was actually thrilled with the script. Tarantino explained:

“There was a challenge that I gave to myself when I did it. Can I take the most boring profession in the world and make it an interesting movie? Every Tarantino title promises so much, except The Movie Critic… Who wants to see a movie called The Movie Critic? If I can actually make a movie or a TV show about somebody who watches movies interesting, that is an accomplishment.”

The Movie Critic, planned as a spiritual sequel to the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, was set in 1977 California, inspired by a real-life writer and film critic who penned reviews for a ‘porno rag’. In 2023, the film was teased as Tarantino’s farewell film, and reportedly, Brad Pitt was also set to star in it.

Why Tarantino lost interest in his final film

Tarantino admitted that he thoroughly enjoyed the script-writing process, and contrary to popular beliefs, he did even manage to take the mundane premise to something his viewers would definitely thoroughly enjoy. However, during the pre-production of The Movie Critic, his excitement was soured. 

According to a Deadline report from April 2024, Tarantino allegedly had a change of heart, which made him decide not to move forward with the project. In his recent interview, the ace director shared:

“It’s a spiritual sequel to Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood insofar as they take place in the same world and they take place in the same town. But there were no crossover characters… I was so excited about the writing, but I wasn’t really that excited about dramatising what I wrote once we were in pre-production.”

Will there be another Tarantino film?

Well, it turns out The Movie Critic would no longer be Quentin Tarantino’s swansong. However, rest assured that the director isn’t stepping away from storytelling just yet. He is reportedly in the middle of an original play, set to debut next year. Tarantino has also written The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a spinoff of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that will be directed by David Fincher, with Brad Pitt reprising his Oscar-winning role as 'Cliff Booth'.

While his final bow will definitely not be The Movie Critic, Tarantino may not be done after all. Now, it’s a matter of waiting to see what bold twist he pulls off for his 10th film.

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