There are A-listers in Hollywood and then there are stars like Brad Pitt. Unlike other major stars that can command large sums of money for appearances in TV shows and films, Pitt, along with a select few (including his recent co-star Leonardo DiCaprio), can not only get the paycheck but also can basically bend the studios around their will. I mean, who else is going to get a film like “Ad Astra” released in theaters without some sort of ‘Fast & Furious’ makeover?
So, with that being said, when you have the opportunity to interview Brad Pitt, there’s going to be a lot of ground to cover, and not everything makes it to the final draft. In the case of Kyle Buchanan’s recent New York Times piece on Pitt, there’s at least one really interesting tidbit that didn’t make the final cut.
Buchanan shared a quote about the recent rumors that Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” would eventually find its way on Netflix, but in a new form, as a miniseries with new footage added in. Surprisingly, Pitt didn’t deny the rumor and seemingly confirmed it as the truth.
“Yeah, he’s talked about it. It’s a pretty arousing idea,” revealed Pitt.
Pitt doesn’t see this idea of turning a film into a miniseries as some flash in the pan, either. In fact, the actor (who also has a major production company, Plan B) sees this idea as something that could be the future of the industry.
“…I look at series where you can spend much more time on characters and story and explore angles you don’t always get to do in films,” explained the actor. “So much of these films end up on the cutting room floor because they don’t fit in that box. That’s why I think it’s interesting that Tarantino took ‘Hateful Eight’ and ostensibly repurposed it as a three-part series. It’s almost the best of both worlds…”
Obviously, with Netflix’s tight grip on analytics, we may never know just how popular “The Hateful Eight” miniseries has been for the streaming service. However, with ‘Once Upon a Time,’ you’re looking at a blockbuster hit that has a ton of buzz and would likely have a much bigger debut on Netflix as a series. Perhaps Pitt is right and we could see more and more filmmakers doing something similar in the future, taking advantage of the freedom streaming offers. Or maybe this is simply a Tarantino thing?
We shall find out.
Brad Pitt confirmed that Tarantino’s discussed a streaming version of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD that would expand the film into several episodes and add cut footage. “It’s a pretty arousing idea,” Pitt told me. pic.twitter.com/nS4z6dmgud
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) September 5, 2019