The Hateful Eight may not be dead yet! Director Quentin Tarantino has announced that he is working on a third draft of the screenplay, and he may actually direct it next winter.
As it has been widely reported, Quentin Tarantino ditched his plans to make the Western his next movie after the first draft of the screenplay leaked online earlier this year. This past weekend, he held a one time only live reading of the screenplay, with Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Amber Tamblyn, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern in the leads, which seems to have reinvigorated his passion for the project. At the staged reading, which he directed himself, Quentin told the audience that they were going to see a 'work in progress of the second draft', and that he is currently planning to write a new third draft. This will include an all-new take on the final chapter 'Black Night, White Hell'. The live reading is the only time the current version of this finale act will be seen.
Reports about Quentin Tarantino deciding to direct the film after all, with shooting taking place next winter, are varied. According to The Film Stage, cameras are set to roll and the film will be shot in 70mm. Others in attendance do not confirm this to be true.
The script itself is 146 pages long, and takes place in only two locations. It doesn't focus on one main protagonist, with the story given over to all eight characters hinted at in the title. The film is described as a cross between Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence and the 1959 classic Rio Bravo.
Here is the complete cast rundown from the live read, though this doesn't mean these same actors will appear in the movie.
- Samuel L. Jackson as Major Marquis Warren
- James Parks as the driver O.B.
- Kurt Russell as bounty hunter John Ruth also known as "The Hangman"
- Amber Tamblyn as his prisoner Daisy Domergue
- Walton Goggins as Chris Mannix
- Denis Menochet as the Frenchman Bob
- Tim Roth as the Englishman Oswaldo Mobray
- Michael Madsen as John Gage
- Bruce Dern as Confederate General Smithers
- Dana Michelle Gourrier as Minnie
- Zoe Bell as Six Horse Judy
- James Remar as Jody
The Hateful Eight has taken on an interesting life for itself. Its clear that this isn't a project that will be buried in the ground, as Quentin Tarantino original planned.