Tarantino Unveils 17 Minutes of Cliff Booth’s Return at AFI Fest
WHO:
IndieWire - Peter Weller plays Cliff Booth’s father, a pawn shop proprietor; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars in the fictional film-within-the-film “Soul Brothers Die Hard.”
IndieWire - Tarantino said Burt Reynolds was originally cast as George Spahn, rehearsed and read the script before his death; Bruce Dern played the role in the finished film.
Variety - Quentin Tarantino made a special appearance at AFI Fest.
Variety - Rotten Tomatoes’ Jacqueline moderated the Q&A; the article excerpt does not provide her surname.
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino wrote *The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth*; David Fincher directed it.
The Hollywood Reporter - Brad Pitt reprises his Oscar-winning role as stunt double Cliff Booth.
Deadline - Tarantino appeared at AFI Fest for a screening and Q&A about *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*.
WHAT:
IndieWire - The footage portrays Booth as a shady bag man and fixer, and as darker and more cold-blooded than in *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*.
IndieWire - Booth’s primary film-industry connection is a projectionist job at the New Beverly Cinema; Tarantino owns the theater.
IndieWire - Tarantino said Margot Robbie voiced the Pan Am flight attendant on Rick Dalton’s flight back to Italy.
IndieWire - Tarantino said the denim outfit Pitt wears is the actual outfit Tom Laughlin wore as Billy Jack. In Tarantino’s backstory, Booth doubled for Jeff Cooper on *Born Losers*, replaced an injured stunt double during the final week, and received the outfit and $25.
Variety - Tarantino showed audiences the first 17 minutes of *The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth*, the follow-up to *Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood*.
The Hollywood Reporter - The footage showed Booth working as a cinema projectionist while conducting other, “more unsavory business.”
Deadline - The screening was the film’s first public look.
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino said, “if I’m going to watch any of my movies, it would be this one,” and said he could watch it repeatedly.
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino said he liked that the film “doesn’t really have a story” and that viewers are “just hanging out with them.”
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino said he was about to begin rehearsals for an upcoming play and described himself as increasingly focused on being “a man of letters,” including writing screenplays, books, and plays, “everything except poetry.”
WHERE:
Variety - The screening and Q&A took place at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
The Hollywood Reporter - The AFI Fest appearance was in Los Angeles, at the TCL Chinese Theater.
Deadline - The screening and Q&A took place at AFI Fest in Los Angeles.
WHEN:
IndieWire - The new film begins in June 1977.
Variety - The footage was shown during a Friday-night AFI Fest event.
The Hollywood Reporter - The story is set in 1977, eight years after the events of *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*.
The Hollywood Reporter - The film is scheduled for an IMAX release on Nov. 25 and streaming on Netflix on Dec. 23.
WHY:
IndieWire - Tarantino said Reynolds’s casting as George Spahn was personally meaningful to him; Reynolds’s final performance was the role in the script reading.
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino said he remembered a description of *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood* as “the first world Quentin Tarantino has ever created that he would like to live in,” which he said reflected one aspect of his attachment to the film’s world.
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino said he had also written a *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood* novel and had invested in the film’s mythology before making the movie and in the years afterward; he said audiences did not need to know everything about the mythology, but that it was reassuring that he did.
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino said choosing not to direct *Cliff Booth* reflected his current focus on being a writer first.
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino said he revived Cliff Booth because he loved the character and Brad Pitt’s portrayal, and saw Booth as a “paperback hero” suited to further adventures.
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino said he wanted to develop a different adventure for Booth, “a misadventure,” and had invested in the film’s mythology before and after making the original movie.
HOW:
IndieWire - IndieWire described the footage as presenting a crime movie influenced by Elmore Leonard and Raymond Chandler.
Variety - Tarantino showed the footage after a screening of *Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood* and a Q&A.
The Hollywood Reporter - Tarantino wrote the follow-up, while David Fincher directed it; Pitt returns as Booth.
(UPDATED October 25, 2026 02:18 UTC)
Quentin Tarantino has unveiled the first 17 minutes of *The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth*, a follow-up to *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*, with Brad Pitt returning as the stuntman and fixer. Tarantino wrote the film, directed by David Fincher, and presented the footage at AFI Fest in Los Angeles after a screening and Q&A. Set in 1977, eight years after the original, it shows Booth working as a projectionist at Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema while handling darker, more questionable business. Tarantino said he revived Booth because he loved the character and Pitt’s performance, describing him as a paperback hero ready for further adventures. He also said the film is less about a conventional story than spending time with its characters. Peter Weller plays Booth’s father, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II appears in a fictional film within the film. The movie is scheduled for IMAX release on Nov.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 19:03 UTC)
Quentin Tarantino unveiled the first public footage of *The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth* at AFI Fest in Los Angeles, showing the film’s first 17 minutes at the TCL Chinese Theatre. The preview followed a screening of *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood* and a Q&A moderated by Rotten Tomatoes’ Jacqueline. Tarantino wrote the new film, David Fincher directed it, and Brad Pitt returns as stunt double Cliff Booth, the role that earned him an Oscar. Set in 1977, the footage shows Booth working as a cinema projectionist while pursuing other, less savory business. Tarantino said he revived the character because he loved Booth and Pitt’s performance, describing him as a “paperback hero” ready for more adventures. He also said the film favors spending time with its characters over a conventional story. It is scheduled for an IMAX release on Nov. 25 and Netflix streaming on Dec. 23.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 16:02 UTC)
Quentin Tarantino gave audiences their first public look at the follow-up to *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*, showing the opening 17 minutes at AFI Fest in Los Angeles. At the TCL Chinese Theatre, the footage introduced Brad Pitt’s returning character, stunt double Cliff Booth, now working as a cinema projectionist while pursuing other, less savory business. Tarantino wrote the film, *The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth*, and David Fincher directed it. Set in 1977, the story follows Booth eight years after the original film. Tarantino said he brought the character back because he loved Booth and Pitt’s portrayal, calling him a “paperback hero” ready for more adventures. He described the film as a chance to spend time with its characters, rather than follow a conventional story. The film is scheduled to arrive in IMAX on Nov. 25 and on Netflix on Dec. 23.