In the end, the whiskey sours weren’t enough. Deadline Hollywood announced Friday morning that Sony Pictures, led by Tom Rothman, has pulled off the impossible, securing worldwide rights to Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, which is currently untitled.
The deal comes after Sony, Warner Bros., and others pulled out all the stops trying to lure Tarantino after the 54-year old filmmaker decided to part ways with his longtime distribution partner Harvey Weinstein, following the massive sexual harassment and assault scandal that has engulfed the Weinstein Company.
Warner Bros., in particular, went all out trying to grab Tarantino’s attention. In an effort to replicate the setting for his new film, it transformed the front of the studio into a façade straight out of 1969, complete with vintage cars and an old-fashioned marquee. The studio even brought in cocktails—whiskey sours and bloody marys—from famed L.A. restaurant Musso & Franks. The thinking, as one source familiar with the presentation told V.F., was that Tarantino was looking for a new family—and since famed filmmakers like Clint Eastwood and Christopher Nolan enjoyed a supportive home at the studio, Tarantino would find one there too.
But in the end, according to Deadline, Rothman’s vast knowledge of film plus his studio’s ability to release the movie worldwide were what swayed Tarantino.
Set in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969, Tarantino’s upcoming movie, according to a source who read the script, focuses on a male TV actor who’s had one hit series and his looking for a way to get into the film business. His sidekick—who’s also his stunt double—is looking for the same thing. The horrific murder of Sharon Tate and four of her friends by Charles Manson’s cult of followers serves as a backdrop to the main story. Deadline says Tarantino wants Margot Robbie, currently enjoying accolades for her role as Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, for the role of Tate.
He’s also said to want a production budget of close to $100 million, first-dollar gross and final cut on the film. It’s not yet clear if Sony has agreed to all these terms.
Tarantino is expected to start shooting the movie in June in Los Angeles, and actors such as Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio are being considered for the lead.
Though he has now severed ties with Weinstein, Tarantino has also admitted to being aware of his longtime friend and partner’s alleged misconduct long before it became publicly known—and to feeling guilty that he did not take action sooner.
“I knew enough to do more than I did,” Tarantino told The New York Times in October, citing several troubling alleged episodes involving both Weinstein and prominent actresses. “There was more to it than just the normal rumors, the normal gossip. It wasn’t secondhand. I knew he did a couple of these things.”
“I wish I had taken responsibility for what I heard,” Tarantino added. “If I had done the work I should have done then, I would have had to not work with him.”
Tarantino’s most recent film, 2015’s Hateful Eight, was considered a box-office disappointment, grossing just $54 million at the box office. It’s a far cry from his biggest hits, including 2012’s Django Unchained ($162 million) and 2009’s Inglourious Basterds ($120 million). Those who have read the most recent script are high on its box-office potential.
