Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has been toying with the idea of filming a third edition of the renowned Kill Bill series for years, basically ever since he began making the films. Throughout many interviews over the past two decades, Kill Bill: Vol. 3 has been frequently alluded to by the filmmaker, and now many people believe that it may be his mysterious 10th and final film.

Inspired by samurai and yakuza movies, with a touch of spaghetti westerns, the revenge film Kill Bill: Vol. 1 was released in 2003 and featured Uma Thurman in an amazing performance as The Bride. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 was released in 2004 and was met with critical and financial acclaim. The Bride's quest to kill the rest of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad ended with a stunning revelation: her daughter B.B, who she assumed died after being shot in the head at her wedding, is alive and was actually raised by Bill (played by the late great David Carradine). The Bride ultimately did kill Bill, fleeing to begin a new life with B.B. That was 18 years ago.

Updated October 23rd, 2022: If you love Kill Bill and hope that Quentin Tarantino will finally make that third film he's spoke so much about, you'll be happy to know that we've updated this article with everything else we know about Kill Bill: Vol. 3.

While Kill Bill: Vol. 2 essentially concluded The Bride's quest, Tarantino has spoken fondly of a possible third film ever since that second volume's release. With discussions still being had, and time ticking away as Tarantino enters his 60s and looks to make his final film, there's a lot of information which suggests that Kill Bill: Vol. 3 is happening and what it would look like. Here's everything we know about the possible film.

Is Kill Bill Vol. 3 Happening?

Kill Bill 2
Miramax 

When it comes to Kill Bill: Vol. 3, the filmmaker one said at San Diego Comic-Con, "Never say never, we'll see." While there hasn't been any explicit news on the wire in the last several months (not since Feb. 2022, when Thurman spoke about the possible film), there are certainly rumors which suggest that bringing back The Bride is a big desire of Quentin Tarantino's, and it may happen sooner or later.

Tarantino has said (for at least a decade now) that he will only make 10 films, and seems to be sticking to his guns. On the other hand, Tarantino has actually made 10 films if you look at Kill Bill in two parts; he considers the first two Kill Bill films as one, because he intended them to be a single, long movie. Because there are only two Kill Bill movies, it's conceivable that, for him, a third movie would be classified as a sequel within the single grand Kill Bill concept, without affecting Tarantino's count for a tenth and final film — sneaky, but possible. Fans will have to wait to find out if he considers Kill Bill a single property, because it's the only legitimate Tarantino film with sequels.

Related: Kill Bill Vol. 3 Could Still Be Quentin Tarantino's Final Movie

Tarantino has said a variety of things to suggest his affinity for the Kill Bill films and his desire to continue them, telling Variety:

The thing that does attract me to the idea (and I wasn't that attracted to it before, because I felt I said what I had to say, and I kind of liked the idea of Beatrix Kiddo living out the rest of her life in peace), is to some degree, I think Kill Bill is my most visionary movie. Not necessarily saying how good it is, but I think it's a very vision-oriented movie, and I create this world that doesn't exist. On planes, there are holders for your samurai sword. Since Kill Bill, my work has veered more towards the literary, and perhaps less on the visual, to one degree or another. I think, maybe a good helping of viscera would be a nice thing to happen, at least at some point in my future.

Kill Bill Deadly Viper Assassination Squad won't be in volume 3
Miramax 

Most recently, Tarantino seemed extremely excited about the idea of making Kill Bill: Vol. 3 with Thurman and her real-life daughter Maya Hawke, saying, "I think it's just revisiting the characters 20 years later and just imagining the Bride and her daughter, BB, having 20 years of peace, and then that peace is shattered. The Bride and BB are on the run, and just the idea of being able to cast Uma [Thurman] and cast her daughter in the thing would be [expletive] exciting." Responding to this idea, Maya Hawke has said, "I would love to!"

Almost 20 years after Kill Bill: Vol. 1, it is possible to think it may be too late for a sequel. However, the recent success of other legacy sequels may prompt the filmmaker and studio to move forward. After all, from Halloween Ends to Scream and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2022 alone has seen people involved with old films returning to them after literal decades.

Kill Bill Vol. 3: The Plot

red apple cigarettes in kill bill
Miramax

There is some indication for a possible third installment in the sword-wielding Bride's story of vengeance, tracing back to the original film. The Bride kills Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) in front of her daughter Nikki Bell (Ambrosia Kelley) in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and welcomes her to pursue revenge, which screams for loose ends to be closed up. As The Bride says, “It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that I'm sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it comin'. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I'll be waiting."

Nikki Bell and The Bride's daughter, B.B. Kiddo (Perla Haney-Jardine), are now in their 20s, nearing 30, a great time to fight, especially if an older Bride is in the mix. Who knows, perhaps this can be called Kill Bell. Tarantino has spoken about this storyline at length, telling Entertainment Weekly all the way back in 2004:

Initially I was thinking this would be my ”Dollars” trilogy. I was going to do a new one every 10 years. But I need at least 15 years before I do this again. Uma won’t be the star, though she’ll be in it. The star will be Vernita Green’s [Vivica A. Fox’s] daughter, Nikki [Ambrosia Kelley]. I’ve already got the whole mythology: Sofie Fatale [Julie Dreyfus] will get all of Bill’s money. She’ll raise Nikki, who’ll take on the Bride. Nikki deserves her revenge every bit as much as the Bride deserved hers. I might even shoot a couple of scenes for it now so I can get the actresses while they’re this age. It’s exciting to know that somewhere there’s a little girl who’ll grow up to be my leading lady.

Kill Bill Vol. 3: The Cast

kill bill vol 2 uma thurman
Miramax 

If Kill Bill: Vol. 3 happens, Quentin Tarantino has the perfect actor in mind to portray The Bride's daughter, the aforementioned Maya Hawke, Uma Thurman's actual daughter who has become more and more famous as a model, singer, and actor. She's received the most attention for playing Robin Buckley in the Netflix series Stranger Things, but was excellent in Fear Street Part One, Italian Studies, Little Women, and the recent film Do Revenge.

Related: Kill Bill 3 and Quentin Tarantino's Quest to Complete a Trilogy

Hawke has shown interest in joining the cast of Kill Bill: Vol. 3, Tarantino (as already stated) loves the idea, and fans have speculated (and Photoshopped) about the casting to no end. Vivica A. Fox ignited more Kill Bill: Vol. 3 speculation when she told NME that she'd like to see Zendaya play Vernita Green's daughter (if former actress Ambrosia Kelley didn't return; she hasn't appeared in any project since 2012, and has likely quit acting to pursue an actual life). Vivica Fox has talked about returning in some capacity, probably through flashback:

Oh my gosh, I can't wait. It rears its ugly head every couple of years. They'll say, 'So, Vivica, Kill Bill 3, they're trying to make a sequel to all your movies,' and I'm like, 'I think they're waiting for my daughter to grow up.' And then you always hear that Quentin falls in and out of love with Hollywood. He's like, 'I'm done, I'm back, I'm done.' (Laughs.) So, the latest I've heard is that him and Uma have been talking, and I'd love for them to figure it out. Quentin is great with flashbacks and figuring out some kind of way to make his characters alive again in a film. So, I'm really hoping that Vernita Green gets her revenge.

Otherwise, Kill Bill: Vol. 3 will likely have an entirely new cast, with the possibility of some of Tarantino's characters from his weird little cinematic universe making an appearance, and of course Thurman reprising her role.

Release Date of Kill Bill: Vol. 3

Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol. 2
Miramax

Uma Thurman most recently spoke about the possibilities of a third Kill Bill film, and deflated some expectations when she said that, "I don't see it as immediately on the horizon. That being said, Tarantino hasn't officially chosen any title for his tenth and final film, so Kill Bill is still in the running. Again, though, a third volume doesn't necessarily mean it will be the filmmaker's last project, as it count be counted within the single title of Kill Bill. So who knows, if not in the next few years, we could see an octagenarian Tarantino and Thurman returning to the tale of The Bride in 2050.