Jennifer Jason Leigh To Narrate Audiobook Version Of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ Novelization

While Quentin Tarantino is still yet to announce his plans for his 10th and possibly final feature film, the filmmaker does have plans. Currently, he’s set to release a novelization of “Once Upon A Time In…Hollywood” this summer, expanding upon the Oscar-winning film. Quentin has talked up about the idea of retiring from film once he’s made his 10th pic to focus on writing books and working on television.

READ MORE: Margot Robbie Says There’s A 20-Hour Cut Of Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’

In this case, novels come before “retirement,” and it’s been revealed by the publisher HarperCollins/Amazon (spotted by The Film Stage) that “The Hateful Eight” actress Jennifer Jason Leigh has been selected as the novel’s narrator for the audiobook version that clocks in at an impressive 11 hours. Jennifer is listed on the Amazon item page as the narrator with a release date for all versions of the book for June 29. She played the criminal outlaw Daisy Domergue that was to hang in “The Hateful Eight.”

READ MORE: Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ Novelization Called A “Playful, Shocking Departure” By Publishers

Below is the novel’s brief synopsis from HarperCollins that further explores the characters and setting beyond what was shown in the feature film. 

READ MORE: Brad Pitt Confirms Tarantino Has Talked About Turning ‘Once Upon A Time’ Into A Netflix Miniseries

“Quentin Tarantino’s long-awaited first work of fiction — at once hilarious, delicious, and brutal — is the always surprising, sometimes shocking new novel based on his Academy Award-winning film.”

READ MORE: Quentin Tarantino Reveals What Direction Rick Dalton’s Acting Career Would Have Gone Post-‘Once Upon A Time’

HarperCollins also called it “a fresh, playful, and shocking departure from the film,” but how much of a “departure” has yet to be revealed, but Tarantino himself has hinted the book will deviate from the movie.

READ MORE: Quentin Tarantino Signs Two-Book Deal Including A ‘Once Upon A Time’ Novelization Coming Next Summer

This isn’t the only spinoff project connected to “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” as Quentin has written half a dozen episodes for a “Bounty Law” series that has yet to find a home, the western television series that made Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Rick Dalton famous. It remains to be seen if DiCaprio, currently shooing Martin Scorsese‘s “Killers of The Flower Moon,” will reprise his role. But it wouldn’t be the first time Tarantino wrote enough for a spin-off or a sequel and then ultimately didn’t do much with it.

The film novelization is part of a two-book deal with HarperCollins as the second book will be called “Cinema Speculation,” described as a “deep dive into the movies of the 1970s, a rich mix of essays, reviews, personal writing, and tantalizing ‘what if’s,’ from one of cinema’s most celebrated filmmakers, and its most devoted fan.” In short, at least one more book is coming relatively soon, and there could be much more where that came from in the future.