After months of rumors, Leonardo DiCaprio was finally confirmed to be reuniting with Quentin Tarantino for his upcoming movie set around the Manson family murders. Precisely what this film is about, however, still remains very much a mystery, as Tarantino has confusingly said that it’s not actually about the Manson murders, despite Manson victim Sharon Tate reportedly playing a central role in the narrative.
Today, though, we’re finally learning a little bit more about the project, as Brad Pitt has hopped on board and will co-star with DiCaprio. From what we understand, the pic will take place in 1969 Los Angeles, “at the height of hippy Hollywood.” Leo will play Rick Dalton, former star of a Western TV show, and Pitt will be his stunt double Cliff Booth. Both men are struggling to make it in “a Hollywood they don’t recognize anymore. But Rick has a very famous next-door neighbor…Sharon Tate.”
In a statement released earlier today, here’s what Tarantino had to share:
“I’ve been working on this script for five years, as well as living in Los Angeles County most of my life, including in 1969, when I was seven years old. I’m very excited to tell this story of an LA and a Hollywood that don’t exist anymore. And I couldn’t be happier about the dynamic teaming of DiCaprio & Pitt as Rick & Cliff.”
While all of the director’s past work has been distributed by The Weinstein Company, nobody wants that guy’s name stuck on the front of their movie these days, so Quentin apparently shopped the film around Hollywood. After much buzz, Sony Pictures emerged the victor, granting the project a $100 million budget and a prime slot in the summer schedule.
Not only that, but the studio also unveiled the official title today, telling us that it’ll go by Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Scheduled for release on August 9th, 2019, that’s all we’ve really got to share at the moment, but we’ll be sure to bring you more on whatever it is the iconic director might have planned here as further updates surface. After all, with both Pitt and DiCaprio now locked in, it’s sure to be something special.