Brad Pitt is back as Cliff Booth in a new Netflix film written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by David Fincher. The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth opens in IMAX theaters on November 25, 2026, before streaming on Netflix on December 23. The project began as Tarantino’s planned tenth and final movie, but he stepped away from directing it because he did not want his last film to be a sequel. His final film remains unmade.
What the Cliff Booth Film Is About
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth takes place in 1977, eight years after the events of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Cliff Booth no longer works as a stunt double. He now takes odd jobs as a bartender and cinema projectionist while working as a Hollywood fixer who handles problems for people in the entertainment industry, sometimes using methods that are not legal.
The story starts when talent agent Karen Crosby, played by Elizabeth Debicki, calls Cliff on behalf of her client Charlie Peters, a television star played by Scott Caan. Charlie is known for doing his own stunts, and Cliff gets pulled into a complex situation involving murder, blackmail, theft, and extortion.
The official cast includes Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Peter Weller, Corey Fogelmanis, and Karren Karagulian. Timothy Olyphant returns as James Stacy from the 2019 film. Leonardo DiCaprio does not return as Rick Dalton.
The film has a budget of approximately $200 million, making it the largest budget of any project Tarantino has written. Netflix describes it as a new film directed by Fincher from Tarantino’s screenplay. The two previously worked together on Se7en, Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Why Tarantino Did Not Direct It
Tarantino wrote the script but chose not to direct. He explained his decision on the Church of Tarantino podcast in August 2025.
“I love this script, but I’m still walking down the same ground I’ve already walked. It just kind of unenthused me.” He added, “This last movie, I’ve got to not know what I’m doing again. I’ve got to be in uncharted territory.”
The director has said his tenth feature film will be his last. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, released in 2019, was his ninth. He wants his final film to feel new and challenging, not like an extension of work he has already done.
Tarantino praised Fincher for taking on the project. “I think me and David Fincher are the two best directors. So the idea that David Fincher actually wants to adapt my work shows a level of seriousness towards my work that I think needs to be taken into account.”
Tarantino serves as a producer alongside Pitt, David Heyman, Ceán Chaffin, and Stacey Sher. Erik Messerschmidt is the director of photography. Kirk Baxter is the editor.
The Movie Critic and the Ten-Movie Rule
The Cliff Booth film grew out of a project called The Movie Critic, which Tarantino planned as his tenth and final film. He worked on the script throughout 2023. The story was set in 1977 California and followed a film critic who wrote reviews for a pornographic magazine. Tarantino scrapped the project in April 2024 during pre-production.
Tarantino later revealed that The Movie Critic started as an eight-part television series. He wrote all eight episodes before deciding to turn it into a film. He also dismissed rumors that Cliff Booth appeared in The Movie Critic. “That was never the case, ever, ever, ever,” he said. “There were no crossover characters.”
After he dropped The Movie Critic, the script evolved into the Cliff Booth project. Netflix acquired the script for a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up starring Pitt, with Fincher set to direct. Tarantino explained that he gave Fincher what he called “a gigantic novel written in screenplay form” of unused Booth stories.
The director’s ten-movie rule has shaped every decision about this project. With Kill Bill counted as one film, Tarantino has completed nine features. His tenth will be his last as a director. The Cliff Booth film does not count toward that total because Fincher directed it.
The Novel and the Stage Play
Tarantino is not directing his tenth film yet. He is working on other projects instead. His second novel, The Adventures of Cliff Booth, will be published by HarperCollins on December 8, 2026, two weeks before the Netflix film arrives. The novel is set in 1977 and follows Booth after the Swinging Sixties have ended. A logline describes him as a “War hero, stuntman, bartender, cinema projectionist” who does “the occasional ‘clandestine services’ for his friends.”
This is the third Once Upon a Time novel. The first was Tarantino’s 2021 novelization of the film, followed by The Films of Rick Dalton.
Tarantino is also preparing his first stage play. The Popinjay Cavalier is a comedy of deception and disguise inspired by swashbuckling epics. Sacha Baron Cohen will star in the West End production, set to debut in Spring 2027. Tarantino has said he is focused on completing the play before returning to filmmaking.
Robert Richardson, Tarantino’s longtime cinematographer, said in July 2026 that the director’s tenth film could begin production in Summer 2027. No plot details or cast for that film have been confirmed.
Release Details for Global Audiences
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth has a two-week exclusive global IMAX run starting November 25, 2026. After that, it begins streaming on Netflix on December 23, 2026. The release covers the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and other markets where Netflix and IMAX operate.
This release plan follows Netflix’s recent pattern for major films from well-known directors, giving the movie a short theatrical window before it moves to streaming.
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What the Sequel Means for Tarantino’s Final Film
The Cliff Booth sequel shows the central problem Tarantino faces. He has one film left under his own rule, but he has not decided what it will be. He passed on directing the Cliff Booth movie because he did not want a sequel to be his final statement. He cancelled The Movie Critic because it felt too close to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Tarantino has said he is “scared” of his tenth film. “About what’s going on with me, about how I’m so scared of my 10th film,” he told Deadline in 2023. The pressure to end his directing career on a strong note has made it harder for him to choose a project.
Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman publicly commented on losing the Cliff Booth project to Netflix. He said the studio was disappointed. The original Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was released by Sony and earned $393.9 million worldwide. Pitt won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Cliff Booth.
Tarantino retains the rights to the characters from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, while Sony holds the rights to the original film. This is why The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth is not officially considered a sequel, despite featuring Pitt’s character.
For now, Tarantino’s final film remains an open question. The director is busy with a novel, a stage play, and producing the Fincher film. His tenth movie has no confirmed start date, cast, or story. The Cliff Booth sequel will arrive first, and it will show what happens when Tarantino hands his world to another director while he searches for the right way to say goodbye.
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming projects and the latest entertainment news.
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