Legendary director Quentin Tarantino has brought audiences films such as 1994’s Pulp Fiction starring Uma Thurman and John Travolta, also Inglourious Basterds starring Brad Pitt, and Django Unchained starring Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio. With a career like that, the world is at Tarantino’s fingertips. During a Q&A panel facilitated by Elvis Mitchell this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Tarantino shared what he’s working on next and spoiler alert: it’s not a movie.
“That’s what I’m working on right now, guys. I’m writing a play. It’s probably going to end up being the next thing I’m doing. Right now, I’ll be about my play. If it’s a fiasco, I’ll probably turn it into a movie. But if it’s a fucking smash hit, that might be my last movie.”
The Kill Bill director explains his retreat into writing like this: “I’m in no hurry to actually jump into production. I’ve been doing that for 30 years.” Tarantino explain that, “next month my son turns 5, and I have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. When I’m in America, I’m writing. When I’m in Israel? I’m an abba, which means father.” Tarantino’s movies are known for their violence and unpredictability on a level most would agree is not something a small child could fully comprehend without the risk of being traumatized. With Tarantino’s children both being so young he explains that, “The idea of jumping on a voyage when they’re too young to understand it is not enticing to me.” Tarantino says, “I kind of want to not do whatever movie I end up doing until my son is at least 6. That way he’ll know what’s going on, he’ll be there, and it will be a memory for the rest of his life.”
“Well, What the Fuck Is a Movie Now?” Quentin Tarantino Does Not Pull Punches About the Current Cinematic Landscape
When Elvis Mitchell expressed the need for work like Tarantino’s in the current cinematic landscape, the titan went off and then some, complaining about the quick turnaround from theatrical release to streaming availability. He also contrasts that with the complexity of pulling off a play. “That’s a challenge,” Tarantino says, “a genuine challenge, but making movies? Well, what the fuck is a movie now? What — something that plays in theaters for a token release for four fucking weeks? All right, and by the second week you can watch it on television. I didn’t get into all this for diminishing returns.” Tarantino highlights a continued pattern seen in the modern movie releases, with shorter times spent in theaters, with quick digital releases (and production companies usually subsequently complaining the movie made no money.) “Now the theatrical release, you know,” Tarantino explains, “and then like yeah, in two weeks, you can watch it on this [streamer] and that one. Okay. Theater? You can’t do that. It’s the final frontier.”
Tarantino’s impressive body of work is available across various streaming sites. You can watch his award-winning Pulp Fiction for free on Pluto TV. Stay tuned with Collider for the latest coverage of Sundance Film Festival.
Pulp Fiction
- Release Date
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October 14, 1994
- Runtime
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154 minutes
Watch on Pluto TV