Once upon a time in Hollywood, writer and director Quentin Tarantino cast what seems like every big-name actor with a SAG card for his ninth and potentially penultimate film.
The first trailer for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” arrived on Wednesday in full ’60s flourish with leads Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio getting into the groove.
Set against the backdrop of the murder of Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) in the summer of 1969, the story follows Rick Dalton, an aging Western TV star, (DiCaprio) and his stuntman (Pitt) as they attempt to navigate the changing landscape of the entertainment industry. Dalton also happens to live next door to Tate and her then-husband Roman Polanski.
It’s still unclear how Tate’s murder factors into the “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” plot ― we only see her happily dancing in the trailer ― but the film reportedly uses a “tapestry–like” structure akin to Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” to serve its cast, which also includes Al Pacino, Timothy Olyphant, Damian Lewis, Luke Perry, Dakota Fanning, James Marsden, Emile Hirsch, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Danny Strong and Lena Dunham.
The director previously described the film as “probably the closest to ‘Pulp Fiction’ that I have done,” so it makes sense that “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” is rumored to debut at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 14 to May 25.
Should Tarantino return to the Croisette with his new film, it would be almost exactly 25 years after he presented “Pulp Fiction” at the festival and took home the Palme d’Ore prize. Tarantino has said repeatedly he’ll retire after making 10 films.
The trailer, which includes a scene of DiCaprio doing the twist and shout, already looks better than the schlocky posters released earlier this week that somehow lack Tarantino’s established sense of style.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” opens in theaters on July 26th.