Is Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Hateful Eight’ Back On?
When the script for his upcoming project, 'The Hateful Eight,' leaked, an angry and defiant Quentin Tarantino said he was completely dropping the project. "I have no desire to make it. I’m done. I’ll move on to the next thing," he said. Well, time may truly heal all wounds as just a few weeks later comes word that Tarantino may be rethinking that plan and has already reached out to one of his most frequent collaborators about starring in the film.
Jeff Sneider, reporter for The Wrap, tweeted a rumor that 'The Hateful Eight' is back on and Tarantino reached out to Samuel L. Jackson last week to gauge his interest in starring in the film. Both Jackson and Tarantino's reps refused to comment, no doubt because this is a delicate situation. Tarantino threatened to completely shelve the project when the script leaked and if he's entertaining the idea of returning to it, any further leaks could officially put the kibosh on the project.
So, why the reversal?
A rewrite would almost certainly be necessary. After the 'Hateful Eight' script leaked in Hollywood circles, it eventually leaked online and now anyone who wants a copy has one (Tarantino even filed a lawsuit against Gawker for offering multiple download links on their site). In addition, most critics felt that the script was lesser Tarantino. Not a bad script, by any stretch, by not his best work. It's somewhat unfair to lobby that criticism at a script that even Tarantino admitted wasn't a final draft (why he only passed it along to three actors - Bruce Dern, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen).
Of course, Tarantino could be speaking to Jackson about another project entirely. At the time he announced he was ditching 'Hateful Eight' he said, "The idea was, I was going to write two scripts. I wasn’t going to shoot ['Hateful Eight'] until next winter, and I have been full of piss and vinegar about the other one. So now I’ll do that one." If Tarantino had been simultaneously working on two scripts, it's possible he's gone back to work on whatever that other project is and looped in Jackson. Or, he's completely chilled out and 'Hateful Eight' is back on.
Stay tuned...