Three Hollywood studios are vying for the rights of Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming movie, which is set in 1969 reportedly against the backdrop of the Charles Manson murders, reported Variety.
Up until now, Tarantino’s films, including Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Kill Bill (2003) and Django Unchained (2012), have been produced with and released by Harvey Weinstein.
Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros each heard Tarantino’s pitch for the yet-to-be-titled film and came up with elaborate strategies to woo him, Variety added. “When Tarantino arrived at the studio’s (Warner’s) Burbank lot, he found the circular entrance in front of the administration building adorned with cars from the late 1960s,” said the report. “The Warner Bros. logo circa 1969 was on the marquee outside the studio, and the executive conference room was outfitted with vintage furniture from the era and mock posters for the movie. Much of Tarantino’s film unfolds in August of 1969, a time when Manson’s commune of followers murdered actress Sharon Tate and four of her friends.”
For its part, Sony created a multimedia presentation highlighting its competitive advantages and its plan for the release of the film.
“Tarantino wants a production budget of roughly $100 million,” said the report. “He is also expecting first-dollar gross, meaning he will get a cut of the pre-tax revenue taken in by the studio, as well as final cut on the film.”
Tarantino has said very little about his film apart from the fact that “It is not Charles Manson, it is 1969”. Tarantino was speaking to Indiewire at an event in Los Angeles. The cast is rumoured to include Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Samuel L Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio.