Now, before we dive into this little update from Quentin Tarantino on what he might direct next, let's just remember that over the course of the press tour for "Django Unchained," he's had a lot of ideas. He's already teased that 'Django' and "Inglorious Basterds" could be part of a loose trilogy, he's talked about a possible 'Basterds' spinoff entitled "Killer Crow," a desire to shoot a movie in Australia, or maybe make another slavery/western film or gangster picture. You get the idea. But continuing to promote "Django Unchained" as it opens overseas, Tarantino has added a new possible next movie to his list, and one that could find him drawing things down a bit.
Chatting with French publication Les InRocks, Tarantino was asked if he knows what he'll do next. "[I have] a vague idea," he said. "A 'smaller' film than 'Django Unchained,' in the vein of 'Jackie Brown.' "
Now it should noted that "smaller" being in quotes may indicate the size of the production is probably relative to what he's been doing over the past few years, but perhaps Tarantino wants to knock one out fast. Production on "Django Unchained" wasn't exactly smooth, with a bakers dozen of actors coming and going as the schedule shifted and changed, and Tarantino rewriting on the fly (Anthony LaPaglia, who left the movie, called it "out of control") and working on a tight deadline to get it finished in time. So maybe he's just looking for something a bit more manageable in size and scope; a movie lighter on its feet and easier to maneuver from a production standpoint.
We'll leave the speculation to you as to which of the many, many projects Tarantino has mentioned over the years this could be. Maybe he resurrected something we thought had been left for dead. Or maybe it's a movie he's already mentioned on the press circuit so far. Essentially, who knows? "Django Unchained" basically took everyone by surprise when it was announced, so we'll just have to wait and see, and we'd wager Tarantino likely still has to write a script first. But considering 'Django' is his biggest box office hit at home in his career, Tarantino can probably pretty much do whatever he wants at this point, so it's a bit interesting that his next may be something smaller.
So until we know more, let's revisit "Django Unchained" for a moment. As diehard Tarantino fans know, the director has a universe of characters (not quite Marvel sized) that have been referenced directly or not throughout his pictures. For example: Remember Lee Donowitz (Saul Rubinek) in "True Romance"? Well, Eli Roth's Donny Donowitz from 'Basterds' is his father. And eagle eyed viewers of "Django Unchained" have spotted a connection to "Pulp Fiction" which is admittedly minor, but still pretty interesting. It turns out that Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) from "Pulp Fiction" is a descendant of Crazy Craig Koons, of the Smitty Bacall Gang in "Django Unchained." See the image below (via Movies).
