Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino dropped by Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast this week to discuss, well, pretty random stuff. While he spoke about his love for the “Toy Story” movies, at least the first three, he also talked a little about the canceled “The Movie Critic” film that was supposed to be his swan song. While Tarantino didn’t get into any details of why he canceled it, not that Maher asked him, he did use it to debunk rumors and talk about all the misinformation that spreads about his movies because he’s not on social media to discredit them.
However, The conversation was spurned on about the “Star Trek” movie that Tarantino had conceived and then thought he could potentially direct. Clearly, that’s not happening. “Well, it’s never going to happen, but there has been so much misinformation about what it was going to be, nothing but misinformation,” he said about the reported plots of the scuttled film.” Because I’m not on Instagram and…social media…consequently, if you’re Joe Schlomoko and you’re a transient reporter of some kind, if you hear Quentin is going to do a ‘Star Trek’ film or ‘The Movie Critic’ or anything, it’s a lot like that guy who wrote that Howard Hughes biography that ended up being a hoax.”
Tarantino also laughed at some of the rumors about “The Movie Critic,” such as Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewell”) supposedly starring in it and Tom Cruise as another name who would factor into the movie.
“They can say anything. ‘Quentin is going to cast Tom Cruise, it’s for sure,’” he explained about internet rumors that become stories. “The thing that was kind of funny about ‘The Movie Critic’ that I was going to cast Paul Walter Hauser… they just think he looks like a critic, so that’s why they picked him [laughs].”
“They write it in Showbiz Daily or whatever, and that gets picked up in 140 pieces, “he continued. “Because I’m not shutting it down, because I’m not all connected [on social media], that is reported as true, and it’s ‘true’ for a couple of weeks because no one knows anything better, and I am not filling them in.”
In the past, Tarantino has said he’s already written a play version of “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” and talked about the possibility of doing versions of his movies like “Reservoir Dogs” as expanded novelizations that could be adapted for the stage. In the interview with Maher, the director also reiterated his desire to put on a stage play, admitted he has been writing for the theater, and suggested that he would do a comedy. So fans waiting for his tenth and final film may need to wait.
“I’m leaning more towards writing— or trying for a while—theater,” he said. “And in theater, it would be funny stuff.”
Maher immediately was puzzled and said, why not a movie? To which Tarantino suggested, well a hit play of his could also turn into a film. “Well, if it’s a popular play, then I’ll probably make a movie,” he said. “I haven’t done it. [yet], but we’ll see what happens.”
The draw for the filmmaker, Tarantino said, especially if it was a comedy, is, “in a comedy play, the audience is a character in the room… when that works, that’s an evening out…which is hard to capture on film,” he said.
The second element that the director said was enticing was watching several actors deliver different performances in each role if it became a hit and toured all around. “The other thing that could be really neat about it is, if the show were successful, then I would have the joy of seeing different actors play those characters,” he explained. “When I do a movie, the actor I cast plays the character, and that’s that character. But in a play, no actor owns a role…but if it’s a big hit, someone else will do the London show, someone else will do the tour.”
So maybe theater next? Either way, it sounds like he’s taking a break from writing and directing his final film. Watch the entire interview below and since it’s titled “Part 1,” a second part of this conversation will be released soon.