Brad Pitt Joins Quentin Tarantino’s Next Movie Now Titled ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’

If there were rumblings that Quentin Tarantino’s next movie with Sony was in trouble due to his Uma Thurman scandal and his indefensible comments about Roman Polanski‘s underage rape victim, made some time ago, but unearthed recently, you can probably put those thoughts to bed. The “Kill Bill” director has just landed another one of the world’s biggest stars for his movie centered in and around the infamous Charles Manson murders. The trades report, via a Sony Pictures statement, that Brad Pitt, rumored to have a role in the movie for some time, has officially signed on. Once untitled the movie is now called, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.” He’ll star alongside Leonard DiCaprio, also, obviously one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. At this point, it would take a scandal of immense proportions to derail this movie.

READ MORE: Quentin Tarantino Defends Roman Polanski In Unearthed Interview

Tarantino gave a long statement to Variety about the project. He describes the movie as “a story that takes place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippy Hollywood.”

READ MORE: Uma Thurman Doesn’t Blame Quentin Tarantino for ‘Kill Bill’ Accident, Alleges Cover-Up By Harvey Weinstein

Leonardo DiCaprio will play Rick Dalton, former star of a western TV series, while Brad Pitt will be his longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth. Tom Cruise was once in the running for the role Pitt landed.

“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 7 years old,” Tarantino said in a statement. “I’m very excited to tell this story of an L.A., and a Hollywood that [doesn’t] exist anymore. And I couldn’t be happier about the dynamic teaming of DiCaprio & Pitt as Rick & Cliff.”

The casting is a reteaming for its leads; Pitt starred in 2009’s “Inglourious Basterds,” and DiCaprio featured in 2012’s “Django Unchained.” Both are Tarantino’s most successful films at the box office by far; the slave Western garnered $425 .3 million worldwide, while the WWII drama scored $321.4 globally.

Tarantino has asked Oscar-nominated “I, Tonya” actress Margot Robbie to play Sharon Tate, who was murdered by Charles Manson’s cult members, but she has still yet to officially sign on. Naturally, give that storyline, Roman Polanski, Tate’s lover at the time will play a significant part in the movie as well, but an actor has yet to be cast.

“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood “will be released worldwide on August 9, 2019, a similar date to Tarantino’s successful, aforementioned “Inglourious Basterds.” It will be the first Weinstein-free Tarantino release. [Variety]