Quentin Tarantino made a surprise visit this week at the annual CinemaCon in Las Vegas, the Official Convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO). Talking about his upcoming Once Upon A Time In Hollywood at the Sony Pictures panel with the film’s co-star Leonardo DiCaprio at his side, the writer/director exclaimed his upcoming ninth film has “one of the most amazing screenplays [he] has ever written,” saying “it takes place at the height of the counterculture explosion, it takes place at the time of the hippie revolution, and it takes place at the height of new Hollywood.”
Though the film has not yet started shooting, Tarantino shared his excitement for the film’s leading men, describing DiCaprio and co-star Brad Pitt as “the most exciting dynamic star duo since Paul Newman and Robert Redford.” The director also hinted at big plans for lensing this summer, saying “we will little by little, street by street and block by block, be transforming Los Angeles into the psychedelic era in 1969.” But the filmmaker really won the hearts of the audience of theater owners by noting that, as the owner of the New Beverly Cinema, he’s an exhibitor, too. “I love movies and I love movies in movie theaters. They are my favorite place in the world.”
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, a Pulp Fiction-esque ensemble piece set in Los Angeles during the tumultuous summer of 1969, with stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie, is slated to hit theaters on August 9, 2019.