David Fincher is heading back to Hollywood — literally. The acclaimed director is officially directing a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for Netflix, and now, the cast is starting to come together. While details on the project remain locked tighter than the Manson house, it’s now emerged today that Elizabeth Debicki and Scott Caan have joined the film, starring alongside Brad Pitt, who is returning as stuntman-turned-legend Cliff Booth, as per THR.
The still-officially-untitled feature is being fast-tracked by Netflix, where Fincher has a first-look deal, and is gearing up to shoot this July in California. According to insiders, Netflix reportedly shelled out over $20 million just for the screenplay — an unprecedented move for a script Quentin Tarantino didn’t intend to direct himself. The budget is said to be pushing $200 million, making this one of the streamer’s biggest gambles yet.
Joining Pitt are two new additions: Debicki, best known to Marvel fans as Ayesha in the Guardians of the Galaxy series and to Netflix viewers as Princess Diana in The Crown, and Caan, in his first feature with Pitt since the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy. Their roles are under wraps, but sources quoted in the article say the story calls for two major female parts: one described as the owner of a bar and mud wrestling joint, and the other a “trophy wife.” It’s unknown which — if either — Debicki will play. Caan’s casting reunites him with Pitt for the first time in nearly two decades and marks a return to film after a long run in network TV, most notably CBS’s Hawaii Five-O.
What Is The ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Sequel About?
This new chapter is all about Cliff Booth, Pitt’s Oscar-winning character from the original film — the stoic, quietly lethal stuntman who once beat up Bruce Lee and torched a Manson family member with a flamethrower, which we all enjoyed immensely. The film is set in a later time period than Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and while plot details are still locked down, it’s expected to dive deeper into Cliff’s mythos. Probably with less focus on feet, since QT’s not involved.
It’s unclear whether any of the story draws from Tarantino’s 2021 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novel, which expanded Cliff’s backstory — including the controversial revelation of how his wife died. But insiders say this is Cliff’s movie. Leonardo DiCaprio is not expected to return as Rick Dalton, though a cameo isn’t ruled out.
Stay tuned to Collider for more on this stunningly real, absolutely-not-fake sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that still seems too wild to believe.
via Collider