Related: Quentin Tarantino’s New Script: Creating Buzz, And Another Turn For Bruce Dern?
EXCLUSIVE: Learning today that his script The Hateful Eight leaked after he gave it to a small circle of actors, Quentin Tarantino tells me that he’s so upset that he has decided that he will not direct that film next. So basically that means the conversation that will be circulating around town following this story with Tarantino goes from an ensemble Western to a whodunit. As in, which actor or their reps leaked the script that, as a result, is going on the shelf — literally a bookstore shelf, because Tarantino tells me he will publish it first and maybe revisit the prospect of a movie in the next five years.
“I’m very, very depressed,” Tarantino said. “I finished a script, a first draft, and I didn’t mean to shoot it until next winter, a year from now. I gave it to six people, and apparently it’s gotten out today.” He learned that when his longtime agent Mike Simpson began getting phone calls from agents looking to pitch their clients for roles in the ensemble Western.
So who could have done this? “I gave it to one of the producers on Django Unchained, Reggie Hudlin, and he let an agent come to his house and read it,” Tarantino said. “That’s a betrayal, but not crippling because the agent didn’t end up with the script. There is an ugly maliciousness to the rest of it. I gave it to three actors: Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth. The one I know didn’t do this is Tim Roth. One of the others let their agent read it, and that agent has now passed it on to everyone in Hollywood. I don’t know how these fucking agents work, but I’m not making this next. I’m going to publish it, and that’s it for now. I give it out to six people, and if I can’t trust them to that degree, then I have no desire to make it. I’ll publish it. I’m done. I’ll move on to the next thing. I’ve got 10 more where that came from.”
Tarantino told me he suspects the dispersal came from CAA, which reps Dern. I spoke to someone inside CAA I trust, and they vehemently denied they could have been the source. They noted that a problem is that Tarantino possibly dispersed the script himself, without a watermark that usually prevents someone from secretly dispersing the screenplay. Because of that, this is an unsolvable breach. It would be difficult to prove anyway, because if an agent asked an assistant to copy a script, and that assistant shared it with peers at other agencies, and it suddenly found its way to a blogger, the agent would not even know they’d unwittingly put the screenplay into circulation.
Related: OSCARS Q&A: Bruce Dern Talks ‘Nebraska’
This is an odd story. Usually when a guy like me gets the call from a major director like Tarantino and walks away with a seismic story like this, it’s a good day. I must admit, I spent most of the phone call trying to talk Tarantino out of dumping the project. I want to see the movie, and I truly want to see the 77-year-old Dern get another chance to shine in a killer lead role after his brilliant turn in Nebraska. Tarantino said that he loves Dern, and likely will write him a big role in the film he’ll do instead. He would not divulge any details, even the genre of this other project. Given what happened here, who can blame Tarantino?
The filmmaker acknowledges that this is mostly about feeling betrayed, because he does not have an aversion to the inevitable blogger evaluation of his screenplays. He just cannot believe it’s going to happen this early in the process, when he has just begun talking to Harvey Weinstein about how they’re going to make it.
“I am not talking out of both sides of my mouth, because I do like the fact that everyone eventually posts it, gets it and reviews it on the net,” Tarantino said. “Frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I like the fact that people like my shit, and that they go out of their way to find it and read it. But I gave it to six motherfucking people! Starting this week, I’ll be setting meetings with publishers.”
Related: Quentin Tarantino Reveals Next Film Project – At Least The Genre: Video
After more of my attempt to persuade him to let things die down — he made a mission movie in Inglourious Basterds and a Western-style film in Django Unchained, so who wouldn’t want to see him tackle a true ensemble Western? — Tarantino allowed that: “I could totally change my mind; I own the fucking thing. But I can tell you, it’s not going to be the next thing I do. It’s my baby, and if the muse calls me later to do it, we’ll do it. I was thinking about the idea of maybe publishing it before I made it, but now that deal happens for sure, and I’m not doing it next.”
The other script was one he had on his mind lately, so it might not take that long. “The idea was, I was going to write two scripts,” he said. “I wasn’t going to shoot the Western until next winter, and I have been full of piss and vinegar about the other one. So now I’ll do that one.”
He hopes that this might cause reps and actors to be more discreet. When I broke news of the script’s title, I said I’d heard that the actors it went to included Dern, and Christoph Waltz. I was wrong about the latter. Instead it was Madsen, star of Reservoir Dogs and the Kill Bill films, and Pulp Fiction star Roth.
“I hadn’t given it to Christoph, I haven’t given it to Sam Jackson,” he said. “I gave it to three motherfucking actors. We met in a place, and I put it in their hands. Reggie Hudlin’s agent never had a copy. It’s got to be either the agents of Dern or Madsen. Please name names.”
Wow
Reggie, Bruce and Tim are all with CAA. Simpson and his office would never blow it. Agreed, Tim would never. Reggie, blew it with the so called “house read”. Bruce is on the awards circuit so he may have slipped it to his agent. Madsen I believe has no agent, only his management company. 3 good suspects. Hell QT make this movie instead.
Well it wasn’t Madsen, he needs the role too much and isn’t the type to fuck up or trust a dipshit agent with this kind of opportunity. It was likely Dern, but because he is too busy to take care of his house. The agent knows and he will get outed before long.
I’m just pissed it’s not getting made. Nobody reads scripts, not even actors. It won’t make any difference at opening night.
That’s spot on. I go out of my way to not have movies spoiled. I don’t even like to watch trailers.
Yes, and Yes! QT has his undies in a bundle over feeling of personal betrayal…broken trust is most personal and hardest to get over. Sounds like he’s acting on pure emotion and that usually means a period of calming down and more rational thought…
Why couldn’t it be Madsen? He made need the works but he’s also still pissed that Tarantino gave what he thought for YEARS was going to be his role in Inglourious Basterds (Aldo Raine) to Brad Pitt. And he ain’t the swiftest current in the river either.
If Madsen doesn’t have an agent, who would he have leaked it to though?
The assistants at CAA are a bunch of entitled, spoiled brats. They live to one-up each other with gossip, scripts, etc. I know because I was one once. There is a special place in hell for all of us.
Thanks for being honest about what you were with/at CAA …I hope you have changed. Cheers. Drabo. B-}
Quoting that line from John Carpenter’s THE THING:
“Trust… it’s kind of hard to come by these days.”
I think the only thing that would quell Tarentino & get him started back on the project is for The Agent From CAA to set himself on fire in front of Tarention’s house.
I’m shocked, shocked, shocked to find you can’t trust an agent.
Sounds like Tarantino has the makings of a new script, “Crazed, egotistical writer/director seeks revenge on the careless/selfish actors/agents that leaked his precious script.” How about, “Alan Smithee Unchained.”
LOL, I like this Film Idea …We Should Co-Write a Script. Cheers, Drabo. B-}
MacReady did not say “Trust, it’s a hard thing to come by these days.”
He said, “I know what you mean, Blair. Trust is a tough thing to come by these days. Tell you what, why don’t you just trust in the lord?”
For what it’s worth, the Inglorious Basterds script was on the internet long before the movie came out.
As was the Django one. I think though literally a week later, with less than ten people with copies was what made QT crack.
i read Django after i saw SKYFALL in the cinema at the 5.30 screening
good times :)
For what its worth, that was a remake.
To be fair, the original Inglorious Basterds bears little resemblance to what came, so even if it had been in circulation since the advent of the Internet, it wouldn’t have mattered much.
I think what is happening is that there’s no way of surprising an audience any more. Never mind the squabbling about spoilers when someone writes about the movie they saw. That always happens, and the reader is as much to blame as the tattler. But the extreme steps once taken to conceal a movie production aren’t enough anymore. The level of detail, even in minimal spy reports, is bald-faced accurate much of the time.
So imagine yourself a writer, with no small amount of a following and perhaps a sizable ego, trying to handpick your primary cast without the Hollywood dog-and-pony-show, only to find your best steps were still useless. Even if you are a longtime pro and know how the stnk blows off the ocean, it’s still a shock when that whiff hits you.
What gets me is outside of Hollywood, no one cares. The tiniest and my mean finest number of people literally outside of hollywood would bother tracking down a script to read it. It is not the movie, it;s just a script. Not until the ad campaigns start rolling will the masses get interested and head to the cinema. I love QT but this is childish. These are not NSA leaked documents, it’s a script nothing has been undermined here but ego.
Agreed!
I understand why Tarantino is pissed off–I would be, too–but you’re absolutely correct. Not only that, but even if people do go out of their way to track down the script and read it, reading a script and seeing a movie are witnessing two very different mediums. (Hell, more people might actually turn up to see the film if they read the script; it tends to work that way with books.)
I think this might be a bit of a exaggerated reaction on Tarantino’s part because he knows it will generate publicity.
Actually that might have been the case in the past, but it certainly isn’t the case now. The general public seems more interested in the non-film aspects of movies now more than ever. I mean since when has “box-office” ever been such a determining factor for why you go to see a movie, but if a film does well opening week, you can be sure everybody will soon be in line to see it.
For a director with a huge fan base like Tarantino, a script leak is a major thing, especially if you want to have any kind of surprises. And you do have to consider the trust thing. Having your trust in someone betrayed is always a kick in the balls, there’s nothing childish about that.
I totally agree. This is a really BIG deal; especially when you trusted six people to keep their mouth shut. I love everything that QT has done and I don’t like spoilers. If he does put it in book form, I will read it; then see the movie.
Actually, you’re dead wrong. Plenty of people care. What if someone put your work out there before it was ready? I doubt you’d have the same attitude then…
This man thinks way too highly of himself.
I’m of the opinion that he has earned the right to think highly of his work.
I think it just has more to do with his process. His previous films have had the scripts leak online and he says that he’s been fine with that. The problem is that with it leaking so early in the process, it may have a negative effect on the film itself. He seems to enjoy working within a bubble where only people directly involved with the project know what’s going on within it. Until the project begins to actually take shape or begin to materialize though, it makes sense that he wouldn’t want outside factors getting involved.
WOW? as in What Offal Waste
Tsk Tsk! Can’t trust anyone these days!
i did it
Poor guy. Spent all that time ripping off other movies to cobble them together into a script-like string of references to the works of other, better directors and somebody goes and leaks it. What a tragedy. All the Taranteenyboppers on this board will probably be posting through tears about their crush’s betrayal by the bad people who don’t appreciate how totally awesome he is and how kick butt his movies are. And how he’s so much better than Hitchcock and Scorsese and Welles and Kurosawa and Leone and those other guys who don’t know how to write lame wisecracks and tedious monologues in their dialogue to make their characters sound awesomely kick butt and cool. Poor QT. Poor us. Poor plagiarism and unoriginality. But like he said, he’s got 10 more where that came from. More than that if he has a Netflix subscription.
I love you.
kick butt, haha.
This is a funny and sharply written criticism, and QT gets on my nerves, but I think the indictments on him for cobbling films together would only be valid if the films didn’t work in and of themselves. I’ve never seen any of the movies, except The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, that QT referenced in Django Unchained, but I was mesmerized by it from beginning to end. If the movie works, who cares where the parts came from? Shakespeare stole plot lines from Ovid, from the Decammeron(sp), and from those little news bards who spread gossip town to town. Sometimes the strings of dialogue get old, but if I’m in the right mood, those are fine, too. I don’t even want to like the guy, because, well, every time he talks I hate his face. But some of his films are as good as anything going right now. He’s a great craftsman.
It’s really sad that people are so limited that the delay in production of a movie cause distress and maybe, based on some comments, cause some PTSD among you civilian types. Yep, you got it so hard, why you may have to get up and adjust your heater. Seriously people, grow a pair and control your own life, not some yoyo in LALA land.
Tarantino should write a revenge flick over this leaked script.
What Quentin Tarantino should do is this: Give each actor a slightly different version of the script, but different in a subtle way that is hard to notice unless you are really looking for differences. No two copies of the script are exactly alike.
If version X of the script is leaked you know it was Bruce Dern, or whoever who leaked it.
I believe that is called the Tyrian Lannister approach.
Or the Trent Reznor-Broken film strategy.
Still, if you have to do that, shows how much you trust your friends, eh?
I like the idea of publishing the story that’s adds an additional audience especially if it’s such a good story. I can’t wait to read it. So how many pages is the book.
Wee.
I suggest Tarantino spend more time reading and studying Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter, Paddy Chayefsky and other masters of drama than waste his time writing another sophomoric screenplay and pouting about his Hollywood drama. While he knows where to put the camera and how to use it, it wouldn’t hurt to develop into a sophisticated writer who delves into the human soul. Watching people do karate, shoot each other and talk about McDonalds is fun, I suppose, but it’s time to move on and write something with depth.
Burger King ?
such a touchy back stabbing bizz.
OK, isn’t this overly dramatic? These Hollywood types need to get a grip and check their egos at the door. The world won’t end if Tarantino doesn’t make another movie.
It would for me. His movies are the best thing going in this town and have been for 20 years. I saw him speak at the new Beverly once. Gave each person in the audience respect no matter how dumb and/or gushing their question was. Then later he was talking to people in the lobby. He’s just a passionate filmmaker and God bless him for it.
Really? David O. Russell has been making great films for several years now and they’re all very different. Tarantino makes Tarantino films.
how are the types of movies he makes now relevant to this discussion?
I get what Mike’s after. Tarantino seems to think that because the script’s been released early, the surprise factor is spoiled. But since Tarantino pretty much makes the same movie over and over, this is about like Hanna Barbara yanking an episode of Scooby-Doo because someone leaked the shocking news that the monster was really old man McDermott.
Really, Mike? John Ford made Ford films and Alfred Hitchcock made Hitchcock films. So what is the problem with Tarantino making Tarantino films?
Really? The last David O. Russell film I watched looked a lot like a Scorsese film to me..just sayin’.
This. Furthermore I couldn’t help but see and hear Pacino ala “Donnie Brasco” throughout Bale’s entire performance.
Totally agree. The guy is the best thing we got going. And just loves to talk about movies. QT don’t punish your fans because of these clowns. Granted he’s earned the right to do whatever he wants, but he’s gotta remember his fans are like junkies. It’s just plain mean to string us out like this. Unless of course he turns out the next relatively quickly, then to be honest I am cool with it. He could remake Dinner with Andre and I would be the first guy in line.
Oh my goodness. I would actually love to see a Quentin Tarantino remake of My Dinner with Andre. Hahahaha. Awesome idea!!
I want to see a Quentin Tarantino remake of Song of the South!
I think “My Dinner with Andre” would be a great choice, and it could star Uma Thurman. Of course, it would need a serious rewrite.
If he’s not making the movie maybe he’ll have time to finish Django. What a disappointment to sit thru some fantastic performances in Django only to find that they couldn’t think up a decent ending. I want some of my money back!
Really, his films are that great?
Thanks for the heads up.
I will rent a few at Blockbuster this weekend!
WH
really? blockbusters still exist? i was under the impression we had already been through the 90s
Respect?? Like when he spit on Chris Matthews on the red carpet? Or when he furiously shouts about slaves and masters when asked about violence in movies being linked to real violence? This is a little boy taking his ball and going home because someone hurt his feelings. I enjoy movies but like most real people with jobs, I don’t really care if QT or any other particular director makes another movie.
I have a job, does that mean I can’t look foward to a movie from one of my favorite directors, or a book from one of my favorite authors, or an album from one of my favorite bands/singer? Dude you need to relax, your bitterness is making you come up with foolish arguments!
it wont, but he is very good.. what should we watch? those who don’t know should they put a singing scene or crying scene. .. hmm. lets go with a little crying scene and a hug.. the end.. or those who came from porn industry to shoot the move with the professionals .. that means should we watch stupid movies?
Quentin should spoof the porn industry next, same way he’s done anime, spaghetti westerns and samurai… he could call it PUMP FRICTION or RESERVOIR TIPS, or maybe Dangler Unchained.
Classic. I so approve of this post. Can’t leave out the all male “Fill Bill…” For the parody of “Grindhouse” you wouldn’t even have to change the title.
it wont ,but he is one of the best on my list. .i dont have a long list.. but what should we watch? those who don’t know should they put the crying scene or hugging and crying..hmm..or those who came from porn industries to compare with intelligent professional people ? that means should we watch stupid movies?
If you want to keep a project quiet, you have to go to more secure methods in order to keep the script from getting out. I had a friend who work on Man of Steel and there was one copy of the approved script and it was kept in a safe in the production office. Anyone who was asked to read it could only do it in the office. When filming started, only the days script pages were printed and they were watermarked with names. When they did Scream sequels, they printed the script on paper that was hard to copy or scan. Tarantino has a right be upset about his work being leaked, but if you want to keep something secret, you have to take stronger measures. Can you imagine the outrage if any of the new Star Wars script was leaked? Who wants a multi-million dollar investment spoiled online? No one.
They only started printing the scream sequel scripts on dark red paper *after* a production assistant on Scream 2 leaked significant chunks of the original S2 script, including who the (original) killers were.
Seems like the Man of Steel production team had the right idea.
It’ll be hard for him to do this next time though because it will show his actors he doesn’t trust them anymore, which he worries could interfere with the filming process.
Very good point.
A lot of people who are criticizing Tarantino, don’t work in the industry and have no idea how much is riding on these projects. Keep in mind this was a first draft. You don’t want your first draft being read by everybody. While I’m sure Quentin’s first drafts are pretty damned entertaining, even he doesn’t want his unpolished work out floating around out there, and especially not for a project that hasn’t been pitched to potential investors.
If you don’t want your 1st draft by everyone, then you don’t respond to a leak by publishing *the 1st draft*. He just undermined his own argument. After he shot himself in the foot, he responded by cutting off his nose to spite his face. He’s like a parody of one of his own scenes.
I like his stuff, but this whole episode doesn’t impress me – not sympathetic.
And yes, I work in the industry – a couple of decades in fact. Including majors and indies.
Personally, i feel terrible for QT. It was a betrayal and the agent(s) in question should be fired. Most of the Hollywood stuff I work on has watermarks of YOUR NAME so if you leak it they know. On the Hulk you had to go to Prod office and get your watermarked script and read it in an office guarded by a big dude. On set, we had an animatic to follow and thats it. Lessons to be learned.
I would rather have a Tarantino movie than a comment like this saying he should stop. It’s crazy that he can’t even trust 6 people.
you might want to check out how much money goes into a movie. The script is the central plan for that movie. You aren’t talking NSA, but it would like leaking the business plan of a 100 million dollar company.
No, nothing a dire as the end of the world, but it would be a bit sad.
What a crybaby. What a spoiled brat diva. What a royal jerk. What an egomaniac. What an asshole. QT is all of those things and more.
“Waaahhh! My script got put on the internet! so now I’m not going to make it! Waahh! I want the FBI and the KGB to investigate and prosecute whoever did this to me! Screw them! Screw everyone! I’m Quentin Tarantino and nobody does this to me! I’m angry and I feel so betrayed by my circle of trusted friends! Boo-Hoo-Hoo!”
Well, artists. They all have their process, and if this behavior is a side effect of his, then so be it. He does get results that a lot of people enjoy.
Try to imagine you spent a year of your life working on something, with all the passion and skill of a career of artistic craftsmanship behind you. You give it to three close friends and colleagues, with the implicit understanding that they not show ANYBODY. This is your baby. You just wrote a fucking novel.
The next day, it’s all over the internet.
QT’s reaction seems totally and completely understandable, to me.
“You wrote a novel.”
No, he wrote a script. Probably a very enjoyable one, littered with typos. This isn’t War and Peace getting “leaked”.
Excuse me, Jack, but you’re an ass.
The commenter tried to reduce the example to something you might understand.
You’ve obviously never written a screenplay or you’d realize the insanity of your post.
Novel vs Screenplay makes no difference.
Imagine you spent a year writing a musical and gave the CD with the demo tracks on it to three friends who made them public online…
Imagine you spent a year creating a piece of art people had heard about and were looking forward to eventually seeing (when you deemed it ready for display) and you took pictures of it before it was finished, gave them to three professionals you respect then discovered they were shared with the public before you were finished…
Imagine you spent a year writing a personal letter to someone important, sent it to a friend to review (assuming respectful privacy) then discovered it had been posted online.
Regardless of WHO posted it online, your anger would be the same.
Movies get SO much crap for being leaked. For every 10 who post they love it there are 100 who’ll post: “IT SUCKS!”
Until you understand ANY of those examples, think twice before you post.
Whoever you are, you’re my hero.
Not sure what’s going on as I tried to reply before but basically..
No need to spew such antagonism at me personally for just expressing my opinion that he overreacted and that it’s an invalid comparison between one of his scripts and a novel (Example I chose was a literary classic).
Anyways, aren’t there more important things going on in the world that deserve attention then a Hollywood filmmaker deciding *not* to make his movie after all? I simply posted a second or two of my opinion, and you decided to rant at someone you’ve never met and know nothing about..
…too much “imagine”
I agree with you. The bottom line here is trust, plain and simple. “hey guys, wanna be part of my next big successful movie? One request: don’t share it.”
Well put!
BRAVO!!!!!! Very well stated. Haters are going to hate.
Its not War and Peace but it was a WHO-DONE-IT you asshole. And if the ending is exposed it kindda ruins the whole thing, no? I hope the next movie was that rumored “horror” film.
No, it’s an ensemble Western. The “whodunit” is the mystery of how the script was leaked.
Why does everyone always resort to that, “There are more important things going on in the world” train whenever they get busted?
I’m pretty sure the majority of people know there are many important things going on in the world. If you’re living and breathing I’m pretty sure and hope there are more important things going on in your personal life, but we came to this site to read and express an opinion about Quentin Tarantino, and that’s what we’re discussing on this site be it passionately or just objectively. Everybody knows were the CNN site is and how to get there, but right now, WE’RE TALKING THE MOVIES!!
the hateful eight refers to the eight other movies he lifted from to come up with a surefire pile of crap.
QT is great at what he does, but he did not write a novel. A novel is an entirely different animal and there is just no comparing the two forms. Writing a novel is immeasurably more complicated and involved than writing a screenplay.
Umm, how often have you heard QT talk about his screenwriting process? He absolutely practically writes a novel. He’s talked about it at great length for the past 15 or so years.
what the fuck are you babbling about? just because he likes the pretension of comparing his scripts to literary works, that doesn’t mean they’re “practically” novels, you ponderous dingleberry.
they’re screenplays.
overwritten screenplays.
To make such an assertion, I assume you, Sir, have never written a screenplay.
hahahahaha. right. cuz writing free form and describing every stupid detail and having no structure and rambling on and on is no where near the art of screenwriting. #idiot
“Writing a novel is immeasurably more complicated and involved than writing a screenplay.”
You have no idea what you’re talking about.
Writing prose is a walk in the park compared to writing a screenplay. When you write prose, as long as you have basic craft, all you have to worry about is letting the reader into your characters’ heads. When you write a screenplay, you have to have the craft, and then you have to *show* the reader/viewer what’s going on in your characters’ heads. You do this by putting them in circumstances where the characters’ words and actions express their inner motivations and monologue instead of just letting them “think” it (as you would in prose). You have to write in a way that allows the reader to visualize what they’re reading, instead of actually reading it. If you do your job well, it’s almost as if the words aren’t there, only the pictures you’ve created in the readers mind as they turn page after page.
There’s a reason QT writes a novel first. That’s the easy part. It’s the next step of translating said novel into a screenplay that’s the real challenge.
Tell ’em. Roger’s a moron.
As someone whose written novellas and screenplays, and edited those written by others…. they’re both hard. Both have their difficulties and one is not easier than the other. They’re almost different beasts entirely. That being said, having a novel first makes writing a screenplay easier.
He’s about to talk to publishers.. So obviously it’s close enough to being a novel.
NO – what he’s doing (as described thus far) is called a published screenplay – period. If he novelizes it, it will be called a novelization (of a screenplay.)
Amateurs.
Thank you, erroneous failed screenwriter.
(To the guy, Roger C. who made that ludicrous comment about how complicated it to write a novel vs. a screenplay.)
Totally agree. I think he is hurt more than mad because he feels betrayed by actors he trusted. His reaction is totally understandable.
i completely agree.
There is another aspect that bears considering. A leaked script has the potential to cost QT money. If it is on the internet, there are those who could read it & decide not to watch the movie. A script often has rewrites during production & takes a life of its own due the actor’s interpretation. A good actor can make a good script great or mediocre actor can make a great script a stinker. To me, leaking the script is akin to pirating. That might be an extreme opinion, but it is still lost revenue for everyone involved in the project if the script receives bad or even mediocre reviews on the internet. It isn’t Hollywood that contributes to those opening week revenues & all publicity helps or hurts.
he may very well be all the things you just said… BUt you understand this is an intellectual property that is literally worth millions of dollars that he owns. If he wanted to control the distribution of it, that is every much his right.
Again — let me repeat — this is a property with a value in the millions. I know lots of people like to say “Oh but the script isn’t the movie and it’s just a blueprint so who cares?”
At this stage, the script is tantamount to a business plan. A business plan for a venture that will likely entail 100 million plus dollars in expenditure when all is said and done. If anyone walked into Apple and stole plans for a new product that was gonna cost the company a hundred million to produce — they’d be prosecuted in a heartbeat.
So like him, hate him, whatever… but these kind of incidents really are a big deal.
Well put! :)
Your comment has infinitely more whining and emotional baggage than anything Tarantino said. His plans for an upcoming movie were sullied, so he’ll do a different one. It’s disappointing for him, since he wrote the entire script and wanted to get it underway, but oh well. Meanwhile, you seem very emotionally invested in criticizing the guy for changing his mind. May I suggest taking a deep breath and stepping outside?
Exactly. Who are you to tell someone how to feel about their work, work that has grossed billions upon billions of dollars. That’s his decision to make, whether you think he’s being overly dramatic or not. This is the reason parasites like Scriptshadow, Carson Reeves, Chris Eads need to be stopped. All they do is criticize writers, and the degree to which they do is directly proportional to how little they know about writing a script. Stop taking other people’s work and destroying it just because you can’t possibly replicate their level of talent in your own life.
…says the person who’s never written anything more than comment section nonsense.
Sounds more like he’s more pissed that someone he trusted betrayed him than anything else. I’d hate for a first draft of mine to get leaked, so then Carson Reeves can rip it apart and before you know it there’s a pre-conceived notion about a film that isn’t even in pre-production.
Does anyone really listen to Carson Reeves? He’s a friggin’ idiot.
What a terrible fallacy, you make it seem as he is over dramatizing it and then give legit reasons why he would not do it, he got betrayed by one of 3 people he trusted so much to give a script of 90 pages away that was meant to be shot in a year, and got leaked before even pre production began, if you are going to work for a year and more because of post production and marketing and everyone already knows whats gonna happen from day 1, why would you even do it? You´d rather move on to another story until you have enough inspiration to reimagine the leaked one, as he says he doesn´t mind the script being leaked, just that it happened from the first day and that it could only be 3 people he trusted, legit reasons, you are the one crying for no reason.
he is all those things. thats what intelligent people are.. they are all you can imagine and more. so you didn’t understood the movies he made. you’re not the only one, but you could show some respect to a guy who knows things you will never understand. you think the movies he make are falling infront of his doors every morning like your newspaper? of course hes mad. you wouldn’t be?
Maybe to you it’s just a script for just a movie. But to filmmakers it’s countless hours of hard work. When you are writing a script you live and breath it, it’s constantly in the back of your mind, invading your dreams. This isn’t just a hobby, this is his living. It’s even more than that because it’s his passion. When the fruits of your hard labor boil down to a few weeks at the box office, I think you would feel some emotional attachment to your work as well.
If QT wants to keep something a secret and someone betrays his trust, it’s understandable that he’d react, as anyone would, by punishing the person who betrayed that trust. He just has a lot more resources to punish, and deservedly so.
fuck you you fucking piece of shit. quentin tarantino is one of the best.
How eloquent.
@Grow up Quentin you big baby,
This is the kind of comment made by someone who has gotten paid to do anything creative in his life. That is all.
His little tantrum also gives him a chance to come back and say that he *has* to do it due to the “overwhelming response” of fans. That could be a very powerful ego trip for someone.
Rude that an assistant somehow gets put in the mix for hypothetical blame for this by the write? Fuck that.
Yeah, an assistant would never lead something!
OOPS.
I thought the same thing.
Yeah, good point. Because assistants have never passed around scripts before….
As assistant would (well, should) never put their job in jeopardy, because their jobs are already on the line every minute of the day. One missed call from a ‘name’ or a missed meeting reminder could mean the end of your reign at a prestigious company. So a leaked script could possibly mean death by beheading in the CAA lobby.
The writer did not blame the assistant. The author of the news article and the agent likely responsible for the leak seem to be the ones putting the blame on an assistant.
I meant writer as in Tarantino did not blame an assistant, but the writer of the article did.
I understand why Tarantino is upset. I would, too. But isn’t his refusal to go forward with the project a bit puerile for someone of his talent, pedigree and accomplishment? And what good could possibly come from Tarantino going public other than a bunch of free PR and, possibly, a witch hunt for the guilty party/parties and the possible harm, (er, destruction) of an agent’s career? To quote Shakespeare, I think this is very possibly a classic case of turning a trifle into a tragedy.
Not necessarily, he typically writes with actors in mind, Kill Bill was for Uma before he wrote one word. If he can’t trust the actors he envisioned for the script, then he likely wouldn’t use them, now the script isn’t the same.
Well said. I can understand being angry and feeling betrayed, but calling off the project completely seems a bit like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. I love his films, but this isn’t the first (nor will it be the last) time a script has been leaked. If it really is his baby, he’ll see it through to the end. I suspect he will ultimately cave. As a writer, it’s hard to throw away a piece of work that you’re really proud of. The impulse to see it come to fruition will overcome his bitterness and anger. At least, that’s what I’m hoping. It could just be wishful thinking on my part. :)
This is so silly. Tarantino is having a tantrum over business as usual.
More like Quentin Taratantrum, amiright?
Thank God. Now if only this happens for every movie he tries to make. I’m sick of his overrated crap.
Name a bad movie he’s made and tell us why it’s bad.
We’ll wait.
???
Does anyone force you to watch his movies?
Wow, Quentin is pissed and rightly so, dropping names big time. I doubt anyone will have the guts to admit they stabbed him in the back. This is so wrong.
so he gets tons of pr for this “leaKn” and now he’s not gonna make it?
Ill believe that when I see it, lol.
Didn’t a version of this happen with a potential fifth “Twilight” book? The author had her computer hacked, a very early fragment of a draft was leaked, and it just killed her interest in working on it anymore?
If that’s true, those hackers did humanity a service.
Ohh thank christ. Thank you for this wonderful news, you’re awesome. :)
Yep, she wrote a version of the first book from the P.O.V. of Edward. Someone close to her leaked it, and now she won’t write the rest.
Too bad this happened, whoever did it destroyed what would probably have been a great role for themselves or their client.
I’ll be sure to break out the World’s biggest violin for this crybaby throwing a hissy fit that his script leaked.
correction *smallest violin. damn you tarantino i blame you for making me make that mistake. I’ll never comment again! (sarcasm)
When someone says “the one I know who didn’t do it is…” I always suspect that person.
Yes, exactly! And why, precisely, is Tim Roth the one he trusts? Didn’t he see Reservoir Dogs?
Best comment in this thread, hands down. Well done!
Come on Quentin. If you were a character in one of your own films, you would never react this way. And witch hunts wind up just being sad. People want to read your work, they love you.
QT is being a whiny litte b***h. Clearly. The script will get out. Don’t be shocked. How else do you think projects get buzz and actors get excited about it. PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY BEEN READING THESE SO CALLED TOP SECRET SCRIPTS. THEY’RE ALREADY AT EVERY MAJOR MANAGEMENT COMPANY AND AGENCY THE SECOND THEY COME OUT. If it was an assistant, don’t hate on them. Getting a top secret script and sharing it with your friends is one of the few joys left. Top secret Tarrantino script? That’s like currency in that trade market.
what an egotistical nimrod, treating it like it’s 130 pages of nuclear launch codes. secrecy is dead, brah.
…even the goddamn nsa can’t keep a secret…
Ha!
We’re better without it, QT. Let’s be honest… nobody’s biting, which is why you’ve gotten your knickers in a twist. They can’t all be gold, bro. This has nothing to do with the script getting out. Next!
This is one of the most entertaining Deadline articles I’ve read in a long time, perhaps ever.
LOVE IT. Don’t you dare make this film soon. Take your time if not never. Show these bone heads that they can ruin it for everyone if they overshare material they were given in trust. I’m not surprised of course because fools do this all the time but to start calling with casting ideas on a script you aren’t supposed to have. TOTAL BOTTOM FEEDING LOSERS! Show some class fools. Stick to your guns Tarantino!!
Think of it this way. Let’s say someone like James Cameron handed a first draft of Avatar 2 to a close associate, someone he thought he could trust. Instead, that person passed it off to dozens of other people and it uncontrollably spread through the industry. Don’t you think that James Cameron would be hunting that person down with a home-made elephant gun that allowed one to watch the path of the bullet as it traveled through a body. You bet he would.
Tarantino has every right to be pissed and in a rage. I bet you he also takes more precautions next time, assuming he trusts anyone ever again.
I would totally blow a gasket if this happened. QT has every right to feel betrayed. He is a master and he invited people in, early in the process. I assume he’s somewhat collaborative if he’s sharing so early. So he was probably open to thoughts/comments from the chosen readers but not the world. Such a shame that someone couldn’t keep a lid on it. Imagine Picasso waking up one morning to find something unfinished, stolen and hanging in the Guggenheim followed by the joy critics would have at pointing out the wet paint, at the Artist’s expense. Early drafts should remain secret because final drafts always have a target on them. To put that same target on something unfinished or early is unfair and crushing to any artist.
Well i don’t blame QT for being pissed! But yeah, not making the movie is a damn shame, i was looking forward to it. Love Westerns and love QTs style of film making. I’m guessing he’s just freshly sore at this, and who wouldnt be? Possibly 6 months writing a script or more then someone ruins the films surprises by spreading over the net, I’d go on a killing spree! And so would any of you haters above if it happened to you! FACT!! Or is it cool to hate Tarantino films now? jesus!
For fuck’s sake, QT has every right in the world to want to keep his story secret until he actually gets a chance to make it, and not have the whole damn thing leaked more than a year in advance. I think the big babies who need to grow up are people on the internet who have allowed their Veruca Salt, “what’s yours is mine so give it to me NOW” sense of entitlement go right through the roof. You’re the egomaniac divas, not filmmakers.
Exactly. They messed with his creative process. He has every right to make his film without having people (who were not given permission to distribute the material) to the entire freakin’ world.
I didn’t see any of that entitlement attitude on this forum. All I saw were people criticizing QT for “whining”. I don’t think anyone feels entitled to his work, judging by the comments. Some people seem to think that he’s being a bit childish, that’s all. The only people who acted entitled were the jerks who leaked his script and betrayed his trust.
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