Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Sequel Faced 1 Major Character Return Problem

Summary Quentin Tarantino has scrapped The Movie Critic, which was supposed to be his 10th and final movie as a film director.

Brad Pitt reprising his role as Cliff Booth in The Movie Critic made Tarantino's now-scrapped final movie a sequel of sorts to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which would have suffered without Leonardo DiCaprio returning as Rick Dalton.

The chances of Leonardo DiCaprio returning as Rick Dalton in The Movie Critic were very low given his reluctance to star in sequels.

Before it was scrapped, Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel, The Movie Critic, was already doomed. Set in Los Angeles in 1977, Tarantino's The Movie Critic was going to be based on a real-life film critic who wrote reviews in a porn magazine. Though Tom Cruise was rumored to be starring, the only actor confirmed to be cast in The Movie Critic was Brad Pitt, who was set to reprise his role as Cliff Booth from Tarantino's most recent film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

The Movie Critic was set to be Tarantino's 10th and final film as a director, a deliberate move on his part to preserve his legacy and "go out on top" (via THR). However, Tarantino has canceled The Movie Critic and decided to start from scratch on his last movie. Besides Pitt as Cliff Booth, Tarantino reportedly planned to bring back other characters from past movies for his final film. Given that it was shaping up to be a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel of sorts, The Movie Critic would have suffered unless Tarantino brought back one character whose actor was unlikely to return.

Feature Films Directed By Quentin Tarantino # Movie Title Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score 1 Reservoir Dogs (1992) 90% 94% 2 Pulp Fiction (1994) 92% 96% 3 Jackie Brown (1997) 88% 85% 4 Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) 85% 84% 81% 89% 5 Death Proof (2007) 64% 71% 6 Inglourious Basterds (2008) 89% 88% 7 Django Unchained (2012) 87% 92% 8 The Hateful Eight (2015) 75% 77% 9 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) 86% 70%

Related Quentin Tarantino Movies Ranked, Worst To Best From Reservoir Dogs to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, ranking Quentin Tarantino's movies requires a deep dive into his impressive filmography.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood's Follow-Up Would've Needed Leonardo DiCaprio To Return

Leonardo DiCaprio Played Fictional Movie Star Rick Dalton In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

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Since Pitt was set to reprise his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood role as stuntman Cliff Booth in The Movie Critic, it would have been a big mistake for Leonardo DiCaprio not to join him as the fictional movie star Rick Dalton. Set at the tail end of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969, OUATIH takes place at a time when Rick's acting career and Cliff's stunt career are both floundering as they try to adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of the film industry.

Brad Pitt won his first Oscar for his performance as Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's ending saw Rick and Cliff escape death at the hands of the Manson Family, leaving them both alive and well enough to return for a sequel set eight years later in the same location. Considering Cliff was not only Rick's stunt double but also his personal assistant and driver, it would have been hard to imagine Cliff Booth's story continuing in an OUATIH sequel without Rick Dalton present. DiCaprio's absence would have been too glaring in The Movie Critic had he not returned, which would have put a damper on Tarantino's final chapter.

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.

Leonardo DiCaprio's Sequel Hesitation Makes Tarantino Scrapping The Movie Critic Better

DiCaprio Has Never Starred In A Sequel

The Movie Critic would have been incomplete as an OUATIH sequel without DiCaprio, so it's probably for the better that Tarantino scrapped it given the very low chance of DiCaprio returning as Rick Dalton. DiCaprio is well known for his aversion to making sequels—in fact, DiCaprio has never reprised a role for a sequel to a movie he previously starred in throughout his 33-year acting career. He might have made an exception for Tarantino's final film, but given his track record, it was still highly unlikely.

Leonardo DiCaprio made his acting debut in Critters 3, but he did not star in any other installments.

He recognizes "some of greatest movies in the world" are sequels, like The Godfather II, and he isn't opposed to starring in a movie that's part of a franchise, but the concept of returning for a sequel doesn't appeal to him.

DiCaprio is certainly not the only actor who has never made a sequel, but it's still a notable conviction to hold, especially given the current state of the film industry. In 2015, DiCaprio told Variety why he's never felt compelled to star in a sequel, explaining that he recognizes "some of greatest movies in the world" are sequels, like The Godfather II, and he isn't opposed to starring in a movie that's part of a franchise, but the concept of returning for a sequel doesn't appeal to him.

Related Quentin Tarantino's New Scrapped Movie Proves He Needs To Break His 10 Film Rule Tarantino has canceled his 10th and final movie, originally intended to be The Movie Critic – proving the director must break his self-imposed rule.

“To me, every movie that I’ve done has been its own piece of individual art," DiCaprio explained. "You read a script, it’s got a beginning and an end. It’s hard to envision that being resurrected again." Depending on what Tarantino's completed script for his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel entailed, maybe DiCaprio would have changed his mind. However, now that The Movie Critic is dead, fans don't have to bank on DiCaprio bending his unofficial rules to prevent Tarantino's final film from suffering.

Source: THR, Variety