The New York Times chatted with Inglourious Basterds writer/director Quentin Tarantino who talked about how he conceived the idea for the film, as well as his already half-written script for a possible prequel:

The spark that led to Inglourious Basterds, starring Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Mike Myers, Eli Roth and a large international cast, can be traced to Mr. Tarantino's storied days as a video-store clerk in Manhattan Beach, Calif. (The inspiration for Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown and other Tarantino movies can also be traced to that time.)

"The guys at Video Archives were like, 'Quentin, maybe one of these days you'll make your Inglorious Bastards " Mr. Tarantino said, referring to the (conventionally spelled) 1978 Enzo G. Castellari film. "But they hadn't even seen the movie, all right, it was just a great title. I love the movie, don't get me wrong, but it's not a remake," he said, of his version.

"It will be in the original category at the Oscars," he added optimistically.

Mr. Tarantino, who was born in Tennessee, said his childhood revenge fantasies centered more on the Ku Klux Klan. "But it's all the same," he said. "Once the Basterds get through with Europe, they could go to the South and do it to the Kluxers in the '50s. That's another story you could tell."

Not to mention a shelved subplot about African-American soldiers stuck behind enemy lines. "I have a half-written prequel ready to go if this movie's a smash," he said.

Inglourious Basterds opens in theaters August 21st, 2009.