Director Quentin Tarantino is taking on 1969 Hollywood for his ninth studio film, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. The legendary director behind Hollywood megahits like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight, is taking on one of the world’s most gripping true-crime tales – a mystery crime drama set during the hysteria of the Manson Family murders in California.
Good news for Melbourne folks, the highly-anticipated film will be showing at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 35mm film a full twelve days before its formal release date.
Here’s everything you need to know about Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
When Will The Film Be Released?
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will be released in Australia on August 15, 2019. The film was originally scheduled to be released on August 9, 2019, which would have been the 50th anniversary of the murders. But in July 2018, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film would be moved, citing sources that said Sony wanted to give the film “more summer playtime.”
The First Poster Has Been Released
Sony Pictures tweeted the official poster to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which features Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. It portrays the Hollywood posters reminiscent of the time, in the height of hippy Hollywood.
Our Second Look At Margot Robbie As Sharon Tate Has Been Released
Margot, who is playing the late Sharon Tate, has been regarded as “unrecognisable” by fans in the new look poster released on March 19. “Hollywood. 1969.” Margot captioned the pic.
While filming, Margot kept Tate close to her through using certain jewellery that once belonged to the late star, and was gifted by the star’s sister Debra Tate. “Whenever I heard her name, I really only thought about her life,” Margot told Today, adding that she had never been “exposed to parts of her life when she was alive.”
She added, “It was kind of sometimes very sad to be that closely connected with real-life Sharon,” Robbie said, adding that at moments, “suddenly the tragedy of it all would hit you and you’d be tremendously sad.”
What Is Once Upon A Time In Hollywood About?
Set in 1969, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is based on the story of two best friends with fading careers who end up near the gruesome events of the murder of fashion model and actress Sharon Tate in Los Angeles. In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Rick Dalton, a failing former star of a Western TV series considering a move to Italy, after Hollywood lost interest in movies about “cowboys and gunslingers”. Along with his best friend and longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, the two give Hollywood one more try, only to unwittingly play a part in the Sharon Tate story, who is being played by Oscar-nominated Australian actress Margot Robbie.
Sharon Tate was a promising young actress who starred in films liked Valley Of The Dolls in 1967 and The Wrecking Crew in 1969. She was murdered on August 8, 1969 in her Hollywood home, along with three friends and one 18-year-old visitor. At the time of her death, Tate was eight and a half months pregnant with a son with partner, director Roman Polanski, who was working in Europe. The murders were carried out by supporters of the infamous cult leader Charles Manson, who died in prison in November 2017.
Who Stars In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood?
Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie will all co-star as lead characters in the film.
- Damon Herriman will portray cult leader Charles Manson.
- Al Pacino will play Marvin Shwarz, Rick Dalton’s agent.
- Emile Hirsch has been cast as Jay Sebring, a Hollywood hairstylist, friend and ex-lover of Sharon Tate and was one of the victims of the crime.
- Damian Lewis will play Steve McQueen, the actor who was invited to Sharon Tate’s home on the night of the murder.
- Bruce Dern will play George Spahn, the elderly landowner of the Spahn Ranch, often rented to movie studios to shoot Westerns.
- Charles Manson lived on the ranch in exchange for providing women to the nearly blind Spahn. The role was originally intended to be played by Burt Reynolds, who died before production began.
- Dakota Fanning as Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a member of the Manson family who was not involved in the Tate murders.
- Luke Perry as Wayne Maunder, an actor who co-starred on the Western television series Lancer. This is Perry’s last completed film role prior to his death in March 2019.
- Mike Moh s Bruce Lee, the martial arts legend who was, for a time, a personal trainer to Hollywood elite, including Roman Polanski. He served as choreographer of The Wrecking Crew that starred Sharon Tate. A pair of sunglasses left behind at the Tate home led to Lee becoming one of the suspects of the murders.
The film will also feature appearances by Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Kurt Russell, Lena Dunham, Timothy Olyphant and James Marsden in unspecified roles.
Has The Trailer Been Released?
The trailer was released on March 21, 2019.
The film is Tarantino’s only film to not be associated with disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. After sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein surfaced in October 2017, Tarantino severed ties with The Weinstein Company and sought a new distributor for his project.
Watch the full trailer below:
