Quentin Tarantino has been saying for years that he would leave feature filmmaking behind when he directed his tenth movie, though he recently confirmed that he won’t leave storytelling behind forever, expressing that he could see himself developing TV shows and shorts, as well as writing projects that he might not necessarily direct. During a conversation with Deadline, he also expressed his disappointment with projects that are developed for streaming platforms, so whatever the future might hold for him in Hollywood, we shouldn’t expect him to strike a partnership with a streaming service in the way that other iconic auteurs have established. His final film is slated to be The Movie Critic.
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When pressed by the outlet about whether he’s really retiring from directing movies, Tarantino confirmed, “[A] motion picture, yes … I could do a TV show. I didn’t say I’m going to go into the night darkly, all right? I could do a TV show. I could do a short film. I could do a play. All kinds of things I could do, but I’ll probably just be more of a writer.”
With all of his films earning tremendous acclaim and various awards, Tarantino has consistently impressed audiences and critics alike, so it’s easy to see why he’d rather wrap up his feature filmmaking career with such a strong output.
“I am ending the filmography,” Tarantino echoed. “It’s just time. It’s just time to go out. I like the idea of going out on top. I like the idea of giving it my all for 30 years and then saying, ‘OK, that’s enough.’ And I don’t like working to diminishing returns. And I mean, now is a good time because I mean, what even is a motion picture anyway anymore? Is it just something that they show on Apple? That would be diminishing returns.”
Tarantino expressed how he understands the value of home video and streaming platforms, especially given his history working for VHS rental stores, but that he thinks movies are an artform designed for the cinematic experience.
“Well, I’ve always thought that,” the filmmaker shared of the importance of cinematic exhibition. “And they eventually get to television. I saw a lot of them that way. I’m probably going to be doing the movie with Sony because they’re the last game in town that is just absolutely, utterly, committed to the theatrical experience. It’s not about feeding their streaming network. They are committed to theatrical experience. They judge success by asses on seats. And they judge success by the movies entering the zeitgeist, not just making a big expensive movie and then putting it on your streaming platform. No one even knows it’s there.”
He continued, “I mean, and I’m not picking on anybody, but apparently for Netflix, Ryan Reynolds has made $50 million on this movie and $50 million on that movie and $50 million on the next movie for them. I don’t know what any of those movies are. I’ve never seen them.”
Tarantino, like many Netflix audiences, might appreciate these experiences as he’s watching them, but doesn’t believe they establish themselves in the legacy of pop culture.
“I haven’t ever talked to Ryan Reynolds’ agent, but his agent is like, ‘Well, it cost $50 million.’ Well, good for him that he’s making so much money,” Tarantino confessed. “But those movies don’t exist in the zeitgeist. It’s almost like they don’t even exist.”
Stay tuned for updates on Tarantino’s future projects.
Would you like to see the filmmaker develop a TV show? Let us know in the comments!
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