Quentin Tarantino explains decision to “pull the plug” on what would have been his final film, ‘The Movie Critic’

Quentin Tarantino has shed light on his decision to “pull the plug” on The Movie Critic, which at one point was set to be his final film.

• READ MORE: Why is Quentin Tarantino only making 10 movies?

Last April, reports emerged claiming the filmmaker had “simply changed his mind” about making The Movie Critic, following rumours of script rewrites and the film’s production being delayed due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes.

At the time, reports indicated Tarantino would instead be focusing on an entirely new project for his tenth and final film, something he’s now provided more clarity on.

Speaking on The Church of Tarantino podcast, the two-time Oscar winner said that although he “was very happy” with what he’d originally written as an eight-part series and translated into a feature-length script, he “wasn’t really that excited” when pre-production rolled around.

Quentin Tarantino on scrapping ‘THE MOVIE CRITIC’ as his final film:

“There was a challenge that I gave to myself when I did it…. Can I take the most boring profession in the world and make it an interesting movie? Every Tarantino title promises so much, except ‘The Movie… pic.twitter.com/IZGWXY4Q2t

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) August 15, 2025

“No one’s waiting for this thing, per se. I mean, I can do it whenever I want, it’s already written,” he reasoned. “So OK, let me just not start it right now, let me try writing it as a movie and let me see if it’s better that way. And I was like, ‘Oh, OK, no, I think this is going to be the movie.’ And then it wasn’t. I pulled the plug on it. And the reason I pulled the plug, it’s a little crazy.”

Despite saying he “really, really likes” the concept behind the film, he added that it felt more like a challenge to set himself: “Can I take the most boring profession in the world and make it an interesting movie?”

“Every Tarantino title promises so much, except The Movie Critic,” he explained. “Who wants to see a TV show about a fucking movie critic? Who wants to see a movie called The Movie Critic? If I can actually make a movie or a TV show about somebody who watches movies interesting, that is an accomplishment.”

He continued to share insight on rumours that Brad Pitt‘s Cliff Booth would feature, rumours which were fuelled by Pitt’s attachment to the film as its lead.

“It’s a spiritual sequel to Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood insofar as they take place in the same world and they take place in the same town,” Tarantino explained. “But there were no crossover characters. Cliff Booth was never in The Movie Critic. That’s all a bunch of bullshit. That never was the case ever, ever, ever.”

Tarantino previously revealed his intention to retire from filmmaking after his 10th film. His debut came in 1992 with the crime drama Reservoir Dogs, which he followed up with 1994’s Palme d’Or-winning Pulp Fiction.

He also directed Jackie Brown, Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2 (which the director counts as one movie), Death Proof, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

The post Quentin Tarantino explains decision to “pull the plug” on what would have been his final film, ‘The Movie Critic’ appeared first on NME.