With 'The Hateful Eight' hitting theaters this Christmas, we explore the potential films Quentin Tarantino could possibly eye next.
Buried deep inside the lengthy and enlightening profile by New York Magazine of Quentin Tarantino were brief mentions of the potential project(s) that he could direct following his completion of The Hateful Eight. In the past, Tarantino has insinuated he would like to retire from filmmaking following his 10th film - giving him two silver bullets left in the chamber before he rides off into his version of the sunset.
Several projects that Tarantino has flirted with making have gone on to be made; most notably circling the director's chair for Casino Royale, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and a big screen version of Luke Cage which has segued to Netflix for a 13-episode order in 2016.
While most are original stories, there are also several remakes that could become his next film. Here is what we know.
Killer Crow
After the completion of Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained, many people were curious as to what group of antagonists with a historical reputation Tarantino would like to explore next.
In a 2012 interview with The Root, Tarantino said, "There's something about this that would suggest a trilogy. My original idea for Inglourious Basterds way back when was that this [would be] a huge story that included the [smaller] story that you saw in the film, but also followed a bunch of black troops, and they had been f--ked over by the American military and kind of go apes--t. They basically — the way Lt. Aldo Raines (Brad Pitt) and the Basterds are having an 'Apache resistance' — the black troops go on an Apache warpath and kill a bunch of white soldiers and white officers on a military base and are just making a warpath to Switzerland. […] It would be called Killer Crow or something like that."
Double V Vega
Part of the charm of Quentin Tarantino's movies is that there is an interconnection between many of his films and characters. Notable instances include the name "Scagnetti" appearing in both Reservoir Dogs and Natural Born Killers, the connection of Lee Donowitz in True Romance being the son of Donny Donowitz in Inglorious Basterds, The Bride from Kill Bill being buried in the grave of Paul Schultz (wife of Dr. King Schultz from Django Unchained), and more.
But of all the connections, surely the most glaring one is that Michael Madsen's character from Reservoir Dogs, Mr. Blonde (Vic Vega), is the brother of John Travolta's, Vincent Vega, from Pulp Fiction.
In 2004, Tarantino spoke about the potential film in an in-depth interview with Rolling Stone. "It’s a sequel to both Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, actually, it’s a sequel and it’s a prequel," he said. "It’s the Vega Brothers, played by Michael Madsen and John Travolta. I have been trying to do it for years, and the more time I take, the older these two guys get. But I’ve come up with an idea that won’t much matter how much they age….the magic of movies. It’s going to be great. It’ll be funny, and these guys are so great, alright, they’re going to be like two oversized mob-men fighting over the last bowl of pasta, that we can’t go wrong. It’s just going to be John and Michael, and I hope to make this my next movie. We’re laying down the pipework for it now."
In 2006, CHUD conducted an interview with Michael Madsen, and the subject of the possible Vega Brothers film came up. "Well, first he said he would do it, then he said he wasn’t going to do it," Madsen commented. "Then he called me and said, 'You know, I’ve figured out a way to do it. It can’t be a prequel because you and John don’t look the same. It wouldn’t make sense as a sequel because you’re both dead.’ And he gave me an idea that would be really outrageous – that John and I would be the twin brothers of Vic and Vincent. We come from Amsterdam to LA to avenge the deaths of our brothers. I think that’s pretty interesting. For me, I’d love to do it."
“I even had a title for it. It was called Double V Vega," revealed Tarantino on Opie and Anthony. "It actually would have taken place during the time Vincent was in Amsterdam, when he was running one of Marcellus’ clubs in Amsterdam. And Vic goes to visit him.”
Kill Bill Vol. 3
During the press junket at Comic-Con for The Hateful Eight, Tarantino insinuated that his Kill Bill franchise could actually become a trilogy before all is said and done. "Never say never to Kill Bill 3,” said Tarantino. “Uma [Thurman] would really like to do it. We talk about it every once in a while. Vernita’s daughter just needs to get a little older.”
When he refers to "Vernita," Tarantino is talking about the daughter of Vivica Fox's character from Kill Bill Vol. 1 who witnessed her mother's death at the hands of The Bride during the memorable fight sequence inside her home.
Django Unchained/Zorro
When it was released in November 2014, Django/Zorro #1 became the official sequel to Django Unchained and the first-ever comic book sequel ever done for a Tarantino film.
According to the official synopsis, "Set several years after the events of Django Unchained, Django/Zorro #1 finds Django again pursuing the evil that men do in his role as a bounty hunter. Since there's a warrant on his head back east, he's mainly been plying his trade in the western states. After safely settling his wife, Broomhilda, near Chicago, he's again taken to the road, sending her funds whenever he completes a job. it's by sheer chance that he encounters the aged and sophisticated Diego de la Vega - the famed Zorro - and soon finds himself fascinated by this unusual character, the first wealthy white man he's ever met who seems totally unconcerned with the color of Django's skin... and who can hold his own in a fight."
As part of the much-discussed "Sony email hacks" which ultimately resulted in the resignation of co-chair Amy Pascal, there was an email exchange regarding the project between her and Tarantino.
From the email, which is written in all caps she says, "I wanna talk about Django/Zorro when you feel like it. Also, I still wanna do The Dion Brothers and just because I didn't get to be a part of Hateful doesn't mean I'm ever gonna stop wanting to work with you."
Tarantino responded, "D/Z could be really fun!" He also expressed interest in The Dion Brothers and another movie in Sony's catalog, The Baby Blue Marine.
The Dion Brothers
As previously mentioned, The Dion Brothers is an alternate title for the 1974 film, The Gravy Train. The Jack Starrett-directed film is one of Tarantino's favorites - having used music from it in both Death Proof and Inglorious Basterds.
40 Lashes Less One
Having already tried his hand at an Elmore Leonard adaptation in the past (Rum Punch becoming the basis for Jackie Brown), Tarantino has also found his name attached to Leonard's 1972 Western, 40 Lashes Less One. In a 2007 interview with a fan site, Tarantino confirmed that he still held the rights to 40 Lashes Less One. "I could never let go of it. I've written about, like 20 pages of the adaptation of it," said Tarantino. "But I might very well do it some time. It's the only thing that I have just kind of held on to, that I can't quite let go."
John Brown Biopic
When he appeared on The Charlie Rose Show in 2009, Tarantino mentioned that he was interested in exploring the biopic genre - using famous abolitionist, John Brown, as the vessel for his narrative.
"There is one [biopic] that I could be interested in, but it would probably be one of the last movies I [ever make]," he said. "My favorite hero in American history is John Brown. He's my favorite American who ever lived. He basically single-handedly started the road to end slavery and the fact that he killed people to do it. He decided 'If we start spilling white blood, then they're going to start getting the idea.'"
However, the release of The Hateful Eight could have already satiated his desire to stay in the Western genre. "I'd like to do a couple more, dealing with the same issue: but different story, different characters... I could think of doing another western, actually," he said.
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! tells the story of three tough busty chicks travel through the desert, stirring up trouble and testosterone along the way. As recently as 2009, Variety reported that Tarantino was "hot" to do the remake - with a preferred and eclectic starring cast which would include Kim Kardashian West, Eva Mendes and Britney Spears.
