Quentin Tarantino surprises with 17 minutes of Brad Pitt’s ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth’

Quentin Tarantino surprised audiences at AFI Fest by screening the first 17 minutes of The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, the upcoming Netflix film starring Brad Pitt as the stuntman introduced in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.

The filmmaker made the surprise announcement on Friday, October 23, following a screening of his 2019 film at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. During a question-and-answer session moderated by Rotten Tomatoes’ Jacqueline Coley, Tarantino offered the audience a choice between discussing the sequel and watching its opening footage.

“Well, I could talk a little bit about ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,’ or I could show you the first 17 minutes,” Tarantino told the audience.

Director David Fincher, who was also in attendance, helmed the new film from a screenplay written by Tarantino. The project continues the story of Cliff Booth, played by Pitt, eight years after the events of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.

The sequel moves the action from 1969 to 1977 Los Angeles, where Cliff has moved beyond his work as a stuntman and become a Hollywood fixer. He takes on difficult situations for people in the entertainment industry, using his unconventional skills to deal with problems that others cannot easily resolve.

The film’s cast also includes Elizabeth Debicki as talent agent Karen Crosby, Scott Caan as television star Charlie Peters, Carla Gugino as Charlie’s wife Toni, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as former professional football player turned actor Roderick “Hot Rod” Harrison. Peter Weller also appears in the film.

Tarantino explained that his affection for Cliff was a major reason he wanted to revisit the character. Reflecting on the original film, he recalled a review describing it as the first fictional world he had created that he would want to live in.

“I loved the Cliff Booth character,” Tarantino said. “I loved the way that Brad played him, and there was this aspect of him as sort of like a paperback hero.”

He added that he could imagine Cliff appearing in a series of paperback adventures, with the character becoming involved in different situations and escapades. The new film expands on that idea by placing Cliff in a different era of Hollywood, with a fresh set of characters and criminal entanglements.

Tarantino has handed directing duties to Fincher, who previously worked with Pitt on films including Se7en, Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Pitt reportedly helped bring Fincher on board for the project.

The screening comes as Tarantino prepares for another major project outside film. During the same appearance, he discussed The Popinjay Cavalier, his upcoming stage play starring Sacha Baron Cohen, which is scheduled to premiere in London's West End next year. Tarantino said rehearsals would begin in November, with previews planned for February.

The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth will receive an IMAX theatrical release on November 25 before arriving on Netflix on December 23. The film marks a continuation of Tarantino’s Hollywood story, with Fincher bringing his own directing approach to the screenplay and Pitt returning to one of his most celebrated recent roles.