The Movie Critic: 10 Details Revealed About Quentin Tarantino's Canceled Final Movie

Summary The Movie Critic was set in the 1970s, inspired by a real critic, possibly involving remakes of '70s films.

Tarantino sought new actors for The Movie Critic, with Brad Pitt reportedly involved as Cliff Booth.

The Movie Critic may have turned into an extension of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with meta ideas featuring past Tarantino characters.

The Movie Critic will no longer be Quentin Tarantino’s 10th and final movie, but more details about what it could have been like have emerged since its cancelation was revealed. Quentin Tarantino has been quite open about his plans to retire after making 10 movies, which has created a lot of interest and anticipation about every one of his projects leading up to that tenth film. In March 2023, it was announced that Tarantino had finished the script for The Movie Critic and it would be his long-awaited final movie, with plans to begin filming in the fall of 2023.

Little was revealed about The Movie Critic since its announcement, but there were various rumors about it, from the potential main cast to the supposed real-life inspirations for it and possible connections to other Tarantino movies. In April 2024, it was reported that Tarantino had scrapped The Movie Critic and would be moving on to another project for his 10th and final movie. More details about The Movie Critic have been revealed since then, giving an idea of what it could have been like.

Related 10 Movies That Could Be Quentin Tarantino's Final Movie After The Movie Critic's Cancellation The Movie Critic is no longer Quentin Tarantino's final film, and here are 10 other movies that could come back as the director's 10th film.

The Movie Critic's Original Premise Explained

Little Was Known About The Movie Critic’s Plot

The Movie Critic was going to be set in the 1970s, and its main character was inspired by a real movie critic Tarantino once met and who wrote reviews in porno magazines.

Plot details of The Movie Critic weren’t revealed when the movie was in development and haven’t been shared yet (and might not be), but Tarantino shared a couple of details about the general idea. The Movie Critic was going to be set in the 1970s, and its main character was inspired by a real movie critic Tarantino once met and who wrote reviews in porno magazines. Tarantino never shared the name of the critic he took inspiration from, nor the magazine he wrote for, but he told Deadline that his reviews were “a cross of early Howard Stern” and Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle and his “porno rag critic was very, very funny”.

The reviewer in The Movie Critic would have written for a magazine called The Popstar Pages, and given the inspiration behind the character, he probably would have had a similar “vulgar” and “funny” style. In an interview with IndieWire, director Paul Schrader revealed Tarantino was going to use clips from movies from the 1970s and remake some of them in his new movie, and among those movies was Rolling Thunder. Schrader shared that Tarantino asked if he could redo the ending of Rolling Thunder, and he agreed to it.

Tarantino Originally Wanted An Actor He'd Never Worked With Before For The Movie Critic

Quentin Tarantino Was Looking For Something New

Tarantino said he had an idea of someone who could pull it off but didn’t give a name, but he did say he wouldn’t cast a British actor as the lead.

The Movie Critic didn’t go too far in its casting process, but there were rumors about who could have been cast. In the same interview with Deadline, Tarantino mentioned that the reviewer he took inspiration from was in his early to mid-30s and died in his late 30s, so he was looking to cast someone around 35 years old. Tarantino added that his lead actor would be someone he hadn’t worked with before, so that took some names out of the list.

Tarantino also said he had an idea of someone who could pull it off but didn’t give a name, but he did say he wouldn’t cast a British actor as the lead. One name heavily rumored to have been considered for the main role in The Movie Critic, and who was even said to have been offered the role, was Paul Walter Hauser, but there wasn’t any confirmation on that.

The Movie Critic Had Reportedly Cast Brad Pitt In One Of The Starring Roles

The Movie Critic Would Have Been Tarantino & Pitt’s Third Collaboration

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Given the description Tarantino had given of the main character, it was safe to assume Pitt wasn’t going to be the title critic.

The biggest news about The Movie Critic’s cast was all about Brad Pitt. After working with Tarantino in Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pitt was reportedly teaming up with Tarantino one more time in The Movie Critic. Of course, details about his role in The Movie Critic weren’t revealed at the time, but given the description Tarantino had given of the main character, it was safe to assume Pitt wasn’t going to be the title critic.

Pitt played Lt. Aldo Raine in Inglourious Basterds, the leader of the title Basterds team whose goal was to kill and scalp as many Nazis as possible, including Hitler. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pitt played Cliff Booth, a stuntman who faced Charles Manson’s followers when they tried to kill his best friend Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio). Once Upon a Time in Hollywood gave Pitt the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, showing that he can be either a main character or a supporting one in Tarantino’s universe.

The Movie Critic Morphed Into A Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Sequel (Of Sorts)

Brad Pitt Would Have Played Cliff Booth Again

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As The Movie Critic was set in 1977, it would have been a continuation of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Cliff Booth’s story.

One of the biggest reveals about The Movie Critic that emerged after its cancelation was its connection to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. According to THR, The Movie Critic went through many changes, and at one point, it became part of the world of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. As such, Pitt would have reprised his role as Cliff Booth, and as The Movie Critic was set in 1977, it would have been a continuation of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Booth’s story.

It’s unclear exactly what Booth’s role in The Movie Critic would have been and how much of a continuation of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood it would have been, or if they just shared a couple of links here and there. What’s true is that it would have been a risky move, as The Movie Critic wouldn’t have been able to match what Booth did in his first movie.

The Movie Critic May Have Brought Back Other Tarantino Characters & Actors

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The actors from past movies could have returned to reprise their characters in “movie within a movie” moments or to play fictional versions of themselves as the actors who played the characters.

As mentioned above, The Movie Critic went through many changes and ideas, and it’s unknown which ones made it to the final draft. However, one of the most surprising ideas for The Movie Critic involved Tarantino’s past movies and characters. According to THR, The Movie Critic could have seen Tarantino’s earlier movies existing in the same era, and the actors from those movies could have returned to reprise their characters in “movie within a movie” moments or to play fictional versions of themselves as the actors who played the characters.

Bringing back actors from past Tarantino movies in The Movie Critic would have been a treat to fans of his works, but it wouldn’t have been good for his final movie as it would have been too nostalgia-driven. If the point was to bring back actors from past Tarantino movies, The Movie Critic would have benefited from giving them different roles, with one or two references to their previous roles, if Tarantino wished to continue on that line.

The Movie Critic Could Have Taken Place At A Theater - And Included Tarantino Himself

The Movie Critic Could Have Taken A Strange Twist

Another idea was a movie theater where some of the characters could interact with a future auteur, who would have been a young Tarantino.

Making his own movies part of The Movie Critic and bringing past actors back wasn’t the only weird twist the film almost had. According to THR, another idea for The Movie Critic was a movie theater where some of the characters could interact with a future auteur, who would have been a young Tarantino who used to work as an usher at a porn theater. While this would have been a nice and emotional addition to Tarantino’s final movie, it feels like an odd move that could have easily backfired, and surely, that wouldn’t be something Tarantino would like for his final movie.

Tarantino has had cameo appearances in most of his movies, so a quick appearance or small role in The Movie Critic wouldn’t have been surprising, but he has never played himself in his works. The closest was his voice cameos in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as the director of the Red Apple commercial and the voice of Bounty Law, but he hasn’t included himself as himself in any of his movies.

Pauline Kael May Have Been Part Of The Movie Critic's Story

The Movie Critic Could Have Taken Some Real-Life Inspiration

Pauline Kael is considered one of the most influential American film critics of her time and one who reinvented the form.

Before Tarantino shared details about his inspiration for The Movie Critic, the film was rumored to be about real-life film critic Pauline Kael. Kael wrote for The New Yorker from 1968 to 1991 and was known for her highly opinionated reviews, often clashing with those of her contemporaries. Kael is considered one of the most influential American film critics of her time and one who reinvented the form, so it would have made sense that she was, if not the subject of The Movie Critic, at least a big inspiration behind it.

Tarantino himself denied The Movie Critic was about Pauline Kael during a Q&A event in early 2023 (via Collider), and it was months later that Tarantino shared details of the real film critic that inspired what would have been his final movie.

Tom Cruise, Olivia Wilde, Margot Robbie & More Actors Were Linked To The Movie Critic

The Movie Critic Had Various Actors Rumored To Be Attached To It

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Tom Cruise's casting would have paid off a missed opportunity from a couple of years ago, as Cruise was once considered to play Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

As The Movie Critic was supposed to be Tarantino’s final movie, there were many rumors about the actors who could join the project, both actors who had previously worked with Tarantino and those the audience had been waiting to see in a Tarantino movie. The biggest rumor was that Tom Cruise was in talks to join the cast of The Movie Critic, which would have paid off a missed opportunity from a couple of years ago, as Cruise was once considered to play Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Other actors rumored to have been considered for The Movie Critic at some point are John Travolta, Jamie Foxx, and Margot Robbie, all of them having previously worked with Tarantino. A new name was Olivia Wilde, who, according to THR, actually met Tarantino, but it’s unclear if it was for a role in The Movie Critic or just a regular meeting.

John Travolta starred in Pulp Fiction, Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained, and Margot Robbie in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Why Quentin Tarantino Is No Longer Making The Movie Critic

The Movie Critic Will No Longer Be Tarantino’s Final Movie

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Tarantino’s idea of “going out on top” has added a lot of pressure to the selection of his final movie.

The cancelation of The Movie Critic came as a big surprise, but unlike many other cases of canceled movies, it doesn’t seem to have had anything to do with a studio’s decision. Still, an official reason for Tarantino scrapping The Movie Critic hasn’t been revealed, but according to THR, Tarantino’s idea of “going out on top” has added a lot of pressure to the selection of his final movie. THR also reports that Tarantino has grown more excited by other ideas than The Movie Critic, with a representative saying he “has a lot of scripts that he’s thrown away”.

It’s hard to say if the real reason behind The Movie Critic’s cancelation will be revealed or if Tarantino will open up about it at some point, though him growing more excited by other ideas doesn’t seem unlikely. Tarantino has a long list of unmade projects for that and other reasons, so the same could have definitely happened to The Movie Critic.

What's Next For Quentin Tarantino Without The Movie Critic?

What Could Tarantino’s Final Movie Be?

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Tarantino has many unrealized projects that go from sequels to superhero movies and original ideas, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he could pick one of those old ideas up.

The Movie Critic no longer happening as Tarantino’s final movie doesn’t mean that his 10th movie isn't happening, either. Tarantino is said to be moving on to other ideas now that The Movie Critic is out of the way, but the real question is what his 10th movie could now be. As mentioned above, Tarantino has many unrealized projects that go from sequels to superhero movies and original ideas, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he could pick one of those old ideas up.

Aside from The Movie Critic, Tarantino hasn’t spoken about other ideas for his final movie, so at the time of writing, it’s unknown what his 10th movie could be about. What’s true is that Quentin Tarantino has a lot to learn from The Movie Critic, even if it didn’t go past pre-production.

Sources: Deadline, IndieWire, THR, Collider.