First Details Emerge About Brad Pitt's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Sequel For Netflix

We have some fresh details regarding the upcoming "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" sequel that is currently being put together by Netflix. For those who may have missed it, yes, we are apparently getting a follow-up to director Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning 2019 smash hit. Brad Pitt is returning as Cliff Booth, with David Fincher ("Seven," "The Killer") on board to direct, working from a script by Tarantino. While we don't have a plot synopsis or anything like that, we do have some sense of what the movie is going to be now.

During a recent episode of the "Big Picture" podcast, hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins discussed the surprise sequel and shared what they've learned about the project. Fennessey revealed that it's actually probably best to not think of the film as a sequel. Rather, it's more akin to the "further adventures of Cliff Booth." Here's what he had to say about it:

"This probably should not be thought of as a sequel. This should be thought of more of a follow-up that's connected to but not the same as — the example that was cited to me was, think about how 'A Big Sleep,' the Raymond Chandler adaptation starring Humphrey Bogart, is in the same world as 'Farewell, My Lovely,' the 1975 Robert Mitchum movie, but it's [a] different actor, different directors, different time in the storyline. They are different, they are not really sequels, they are the further adventures of [Cliff]."

"The only other important information I have learned, that I think is confirmed, is that the movie takes place in 1977, which is roughly eight years after 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,' so a different time in Cliff's life," the host added. For context, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" took place across three days in 1969. As such, we'll be pretty far removed from those events.

There's an awful lot to consider here. For one, Tarantino isn't directing the movie despite writing it, which is rare for him, particularly in recent years. The filmmaker is set to retire after directing his 10th movie and he's being very choosy about what that project will be. At one point, he was set to direct "The Movie Critic" before it fell apart last year. That movie also would have starred Pitt.

There has been some speculation that Fincher's new project is a reworked version of "The Movie Critic." For now, though, that's nothing more than speculation. Until Fincher, Pitt, Tarantino, or Netflix weigh in, we have very little to go on, save for these precious few new details. So, we're left to speculation and aimless wondering.

What's clear is that it sounds like this will be more of a spin-off centered on Cliff Booth telling a completely different story. It might be more akin to "The Jesus Rolls," a forgotten "Big Lebowski" spin-off that had very little to do with the original Coen Brothers comedy classic. When last we left Cliff, he was getting ready to move on from his working relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio's Rick Dalton, facing an uncertain future as an out-of-work stuntman. It's not currently believed that DiCaprio will return for the follow-up. Even so, exploring where Cliff wound up eight years after "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is an intriguing notion. There could be a lot of meat on those bones.

It's also worth pointing out that Fincher and Pitt have an excellent working relationship, having collaborated on "Seven," "Fight Club," and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" together. They also got very close to making "World War Z 2" together before that fell apart in 2019. Lots to dig into here, though many questions are still left dangling for the time being.

The "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" sequel doesn't have a release date, but stay tuned.