After a lot of speculation about what Quentin Tarantino’s final movie could be, the director has confirmed it will be an original movie, and with this, he’s killing all hope for a third Kill Bill movie. Quentin Tarantino’s career as a filmmaker began in 1992 with the crime movie Reservoir Dogs, though his big break arrived two years later with Pulp Fiction, which is widely regarded as his masterpiece. Tarantino has become one of the most popular but also controversial filmmakers of his generation, and there’s always a lot of speculation and anticipation around his projects.
Tarantino has explored a variety of genres in his movies – from martial arts with both Kill Bill movies to alternate versions of history with Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, among other genres and styles –, but for years, there has been a countdown attached to his projects. Tarantino has stated he will retire after making 10 movies, and because he has a special way of counting his movies, he has one more to go. Now, there was speculation over Tarantino’s 10th and final movie possibly being the long-awaited sequel Kill Bill 3, but his plans for his final movie are way different as he wants to make an original movie, thus making Kill Bill 3 even more unlikely.
Why Quentin Tarantino Only Wants To Make 10 Movies
It’s no secret that Quentin Tarantino has a lot of passion for films and the craft of filmmaking, and as such, he has some very specific and strong ideas about his career. Tarantino’s plans of retiring after making 10 movies come up every time he announces a new project, and it has been put into question many times, mostly due to how he has decided to count his movies. Tarantino has already made 10 movies, but as he counts both Kill Bill movies as one, this leaves one spot open for a final movie. This has led to accusations of Tarantino’s plan being nothing more than a marketing ploy, but the director has been open about his reasons for stopping after 10 movies.
Tarantino’s plan is all about what he wants his legacy in the film industry to be, and he has taken many filmmakers as examples of what he wants to avoid, explaining that (to him, at least) a director’s quality gets worse with time. Tarantino, then, wants to retire while he’s still on top of his game and end his career as a filmmaker on a high note with a good movie. Tarantino has explained that most directors have “horrible last movies” and that ending your career “on a decent movie is rare”, but ending it with “a good movie is kind of phenomenal”. However, Tarantino himself has stated that nothing is set in stone, and he could change his mind if there’s a story he really wants to tell after making his 10th movie, though it would exist outside his “10-movie canon” (or the Tarantino Movie Universe).
Would Kill Bill 3 Really Count As Tarantino’s 10th Movie?
Like many other filmmakers, Tarantino has been attached to a variety of projects that ended up being canceled or forgotten, and one that has been living in a sort of limbo is Kill Bill 3. Although Kill Bill: Volume 2 gave closure to the story of Beatrix/The Bride (Uma Thurman) by having her fulfill the movie title’s promise and reunite with her daughter, Tarantino has teased the possibility of a third movie for years now. However, if the previous Kill Bill movies are counted as one, then Kill Bill 3 would most likely be part of that package as well, saving that final spot for another movie.
Tarantino’s 10th Movie Promise Rules Out A Lot Of Other Ideas
Speaking to Elvis Mitchell while promoting his book Cinema Speculation (via IndieWire), Tarantino shared that his final movie will be a wholly original work, which not only rules out Kill Bill 3 but also a lot of other ideas, mostly attached to his previous works. Without counting Kill Bill 2, Tarantino hasn’t made sequels, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t considered them. Projects like the Inglourious Basterds spinoff Killer Crow, the crossover Django/Zorro, Double V Vega (following Reservoir Dogs’ Vic Vega and Pulp Fiction’s Vincent Vega, who are brothers), and a second Grindhouse project are some of the projects that, while they would be interesting to see happen someday, are now ruled out by Tarantino’s 10th movie promise.
Tarantino wanting his final movie to be an original work also rules out adaptations that he has expressed interest in at some point. At the same event with Elvis Mitchell, Tarantino shared that he wanted to adapt Elmore Leonard’s Stick (Tarantino adapted Leonard’s Rum Punch in 1997 as the movie Jackie Brown), which is now ruled out, as well as his planned adaptation of David Morrell’s First Blood.
What Could Quentin Tarantino’s 10th Movie Be?
On the other hand, Tarantino’s plan for his 10th movie makes way for a variety of possibilities, as Tarantino hasn’t stuck to one genre. As such, Tarantino has teased that his final movie could be a horror movie, a comedy, or a Western, with the latter fitting with something he once said about his legacy as a filmmaker. While promoting The Hateful Eight in 2015, Tarantino said he liked the idea of being considered a Western director as he had his Western period (Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight), but in order to be considered as such, he feels he needs to make three Westerns. Of course, Tarantino can change his mind when the time comes and depending on his current interests and passions, so there isn’t a clear idea of what genre or type of story his final movie could be like.
Why Tarantino Should Still Make Kill Bill 3 (Despite His 10 Movie Rule)
If both Kill Bill movies count as one, and Kill Bill 3 would surely be part of that package, Tarantino should still go ahead and make it happen. Kill Bill 3 has been teased for so long that the audience is only waiting for it to be officially announced, as Tarantino has even already shared what the story could be about. Kill Bill 3 would see Vernita Green’s daughter, Nikki, who has been raised by Sofie Fatale (Julie Dreyfus) after The Bride killed her mother, so Nikki is now looking for revenge – however, The Bride’s daughter, B.B., is now all grown up too, and she’s ready to defend her mother. Kill Bill 3 would tie that one loose end between Nikki and The Bride while also allowing the audience to see how The Bride and B.B. have been since Bill’s death, giving them and Nikki as well some well-deserved closure.
