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Quentin Tarantino Says He May Extend Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s Runtime

May 23, 2019 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Image Credit: Sony Pictures

Quentin Tarantino’s latest film clocks in at over two and a half hours, and it may end up run up the clock even more. Tarantino spoke with IndieWire for a new interview following Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, saying that he’s considering extending the film beyond its current 2 hour, 39 minute runtime.

“I may make it longer,” Tarantino said, noting that the film’s premiere for Cannes was intended to be a tighter cut. “I wouldn’t take anything else out. I’m going to explore possibly putting something back in. If anything, I wanted to go to Cannes too short. if I’m going to err, I’m going to err on too tight.”

Tarantino noted that the original cut of the film by editor Ed Raskin was a staggering 4 hours and 20 minutes. “His job is to put in every single thing I shot, give me everything,” the director noted. “That’s not unusual, for an epic-y kind of movie.”

The current cut went over like gangbusters with the critics so far, with a 95% initial consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is set to release on July 26th, giving Tarantino plenty of time to beef it up. It stars Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Damian Lewis, Luke Perry, Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning, Clifton Collins, Keith Jefferson, Nicholas Hammond, James Marsden, Julia Butters , Scoot McNairy, Damon Herriman, Austin Butler, Lena Dunham, Maya Hawke, Mike Moh, Rafal Zawierucha, Rumer Willis, Dream Walker, Costa Ronin, Margaret Qualley, Victoria Pedretti, Zoe Bell, and Bruce Dern.

Set in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood focuses on a male TV actor named Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) who’s had one hit western series and is looking for a way to get into the film business. His sidekick Cliff Booth (Pitt) — who’s also his stunt double — is looking for the same thing. The horrific murder of Sharon Tate (Rick’s neighbor in the film, portrayed by Robbie) and four of her friends by Charles Manson’s cult of followers serves as a backdrop to the main story.