Quentin Tarantino Says Smaller, 'Jackie Brown'-Esque Film Might Be Next; 'Django Unchained' & 'Pulp Fiction' Connection Revealed

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by Kevin Jagernauth
January 22, 2013 9:05 AM
22 Comments

Now, before we dive into this little update from Quentin Tarantino on what he might direct next, let's just remember that over the course of the press tour for "Django Unchained," he's had a lot of ideas. He's already teased that 'Django' and "Inglorious Basterds" could be part of a loose trilogy, he's talked about a possible 'Basterds' spinoff entitled "Killer Crow," a desire to shoot a movie in Australia, or maybe make another slavery/western film or gangster picture. You get the idea. But continuing to promote "Django Unchained" as it opens overseas, Tarantino has added a new possible next movie to his list, and one that could find him drawing things down a bit.

Chatting with French publication Les InRocks, Tarantino was asked if he knows what he'll do next. "[I have] a vague idea," he said. "A 'smaller' film than 'Django Unchained,' in the vein of 'Jackie Brown.' "

Now it should noted that "smaller" being in quotes may indicate the size of the production is probably relative to what he's been doing over the past few years, but perhaps Tarantino wants to knock one out fast. Production on "Django Unchained" wasn't exactly smooth, with a bakers dozen of actors coming and going as the schedule shifted and changed, and Tarantino rewriting on the fly (Anthony LaPaglia, who left the movie, called it "out of control") and working on a tight deadline to get it finished in time. So maybe he's just looking for something a bit more manageable in size and scope; a movie lighter on its feet and easier to maneuver from a production standpoint.

We'll leave the speculation to you as to which of the many, many projects Tarantino has mentioned over the years this could be. Maybe he resurrected something we thought had been left for dead. Or maybe it's a movie he's already mentioned on the press circuit so far. Essentially, who knows? "Django Unchained" basically took everyone by surprise when it was announced, so we'll just have to wait and see, and we'd wager Tarantino likely still has to write a script first. But considering 'Django' is his biggest box office hit at home in his career, Tarantino can probably pretty much do whatever he wants at this point, so it's a bit interesting that his next may be something smaller.

So until we know more, let's revisit "Django Unchained" for a moment. As diehard Tarantino fans know, the director has a universe of characters (not quite Marvel sized) that have been referenced directly or not throughout his pictures. For example: Remember Lee Donowitz (Saul Rubinek) in "True Romance"? Well, Eli Roth's Donny Donowitz from 'Basterds' is his father. And eagle eyed viewers of "Django Unchained" have spotted a connection to "Pulp Fiction" which is admittedly minor, but still pretty interesting. It turns out that Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) from "Pulp Fiction" is a descendant of Crazy Craig Koons, of the Smitty Bacall Gang in "Django Unchained." See the image below (via Movies).

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More: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction

22 Comments

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harlemfilmfan | February 11, 2013 8:22 AMReply

And NOOOO. Greeks killing Germans in a totally different continent, millennia ago in an empire that no longer exists is NOTHING at ALL like stealing a million people from one continent, bringing them to the US, abolishing their language, culture and identity, and then keeping them in your country to force them to build it, after which those slaves are freed and â now disconnected from any African country â are forced to stay IN the country of their oppressor for another century+ of political abuse. Totally different scenario. Ridiculous comparison to make. And my father isn't American, so at least half my line would have been unaffected. And you saying my existence here should make me appreciate slavery is probably the most ignorant, hateful, bigoted, obvious evidence of your disregard of any human outside of yourself. That's like saying coroners should be excited that 9/11 gave them so much work to do. You do sound like a Union supporter, which even further proves my point regarding the effects of one's past.

Meanwhile, wtf was so great about the movie? Actually, if YOU like it, then I'm even more glad I don't. You (and your total lack of understanding of the effects of US slavery on US Blacks today) are the reason I think it was a bad idea to make a film like that right now, and you are my proof that I'm right. AGAIN, good timing or bad, the film just wasn't a good Tarantino movie. It was an obvious, so-so B flick.
harlemfilmfan | January 31, 2013 12:47 PMReply

I didn't love Django.
harlemfilmfan | February 11, 2013 8:00 AM

And again, none of this changes the fact that, as a movie, that shit was nowhere near as good as Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill. It wasn't his best work, and anyone who says different is in denial.
harlemfilmfan | February 11, 2013 7:57 AM

And therein lies my point. I don't think white people should feel guilty about slavery. But yes, I think all people should feel a lil guilty about LAUGHING at these things. No less so than they should feel guilty about laughing at the Holocaust or any other major historic tragedy. And the fact that you don't think slavery has any effect on Blacks today is equally as tragic, but not surprising given your apparent teen age and lack of maturity. When you live in a country where some people were building economic powerhouse corporations that exist today, while others weren't allowed to learn to READ during the same time period, you're gonna have a lil imbalance in a couple centuries that's not going to be cleared up by a few years of "affirmative action". Our entire socioeconomic status was completely DESIGNED to be this way. When you use the national healthcare system for two centuries to further abuse a particular race, you not only create a race of more sick people, you also create an innate, passed-down mistrust of healthcare. Black people alive today have PARENTS, let alone grandparents, that were abused under Jim Crow laws and can give verbal histories of THEIR parents and grandparents who were freed slaves and indentured servants. And you think that the effects of slavery just somehow poofed away? How exactly would that happen? A WHOLE race of people PURPOSELY and SYSTEMATICALLY designed to fail by their government for centuries, and you think it has no effect? That's like someone shooting your leg before a relay and asking you why you lost when you had four laps to catch up. Thank god for the fwe who could break out of the pattern and start succeeding, but the masses of affected Black HUMANS in the US are still shaking off the past abuses. You shouldn't feel guilty for your ancestors, but you should feel stupid. And regardless of whether or not your feel that, it's clearly no less true, boops.
Mass | February 10, 2013 4:18 PM

Daww did whittle Harle find Django Unchained offensive? Boo hoo!

Most sane white people don't feel guilty about anything that went down over hundreds of years ago, actually. In fact, for me, every ancestor that I can possibly trace down in my genealogy did not own a single slave. Mostly because they were laborers themselves, but also because owning slaves, for the most part, was a rich cotton farm thing. In fact my ancestors, all of them, fought on the side of the Union. I don't know why, because really, if you're an educated person, you'd know that shenanigans wasn't even because anyone had pity for them poor Slaves. It was actually to preserve the Union and make sure the North had specific contested land that the South was gunning for. I feel more guilty about them doing that then I'd ever feel about them if they bought Slaves (who were captured by your kind by the way). Why do black people with Slave ancestors hate Slavery anyway? If it wasn't for Slavery, then you/they wouldn't have even been born! Ha! How's that for some good ol irony?

Django Unchained was a pretty awesome picture. Whether you're white or black, if you feel offended by it then you're just a little sissy. It's like me looking back centuries ago to some Germanic ancestor who was raped and had their head chopped off by some Greek people, then holding a grudge against Greek people for the rest of my life. Get over it. Slavery has had ZERO negative impact on you, you crybabies.
harlemfilmfan | January 31, 2013 12:49 PM

I (and the 6 friends I saw it with) just didn't get the appeal of Django. Forget that I'm Black and I don't think the world is in a place to giggle at what the hell happened in this country quite yet. I was a diehard Tarantino fan. His plots are intricate. His characters have depth and backstories and inner conflicts. His dialogue is witty and incredibly original. Django was a nap for him. It was lazy, and he knew it could be because people would just be excited enough that HE was making a slave movie. Black folks could get excited about a slave shootin up the place, and white folks could relax and find pockets of funny to laugh at without feeling guilty about the after-effects of centuries of the total annihilation of culture and identity, and physical, mental and emotional abuse of a specific color of people. But people. It truly, truly wasn't anywhere near Tarantino's best work. We were bored watching it. I'd expect more from him. And I damn sure expect more for my stolen, raped and systematically disenfranchised ancestors than a goofy butt "spaghetti western." I didn't hate it because he made it. I don't give a shit how many times someone says nigger. I thought is was SUPER wack because I 100% believe Tarantino COULD HAVE made a better slavery-related film. Folks are sippin that kool-aid mighty hard, though. In the meantime, I'd watch Django 20 more times before I watch Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer EVER again. THAT mofo's tryna set us back!
audiodramatist | January 29, 2013 5:47 AMReply

Django finally came out in South Africa. Really appreciated the work. Question: Did they do some altering or something with words? I mean i didn't find the use of Nigger overdone or anything, and when Tarantino's group of slavers his the screen they were saying Black(s). So he didn't utter the disputed words in this film.
Anyway, i think his next film should feature the Kerry Washington character with Django as sidekick (Foxx doesn't really good when he plays a major supporting character).
In the last scene (not the very last with the Brother uttering the immortal words: Who was that Nigger?), in the last scene i did notice the way Broomhilda, while on her horse took a rifle out and galloped with it raised somewhat in the air. Was that a call to arms from the sister? With the two lovers go on a liberation streak across the old west? With their great-great-great grandchildren take up the fight in these modern times? Will the lineage come full circle and mount a modern liberation on the African Continent?
Will Negro (cinematic?) leaders/spokespeople allow (Quentin) the white boy to create any possibilities not claimed by their purview?
(Do they have any power to stop him? We can't even get a proper Nina...)
This on-going battle is not going away... (Yeah! We all love a good fight.)
One good thing; Spike (et al) will have to step-up their Game(s) and...
Mark | February 6, 2013 1:45 AM

Man! There was NEVER any real controversy over the use of "nigger" in the movie. Spike Lee NEVER mentioned it. Know why? Because he said he wouldn't see it. Some idiot journalist mixed-up Lee's past criticisms of QT with his statement about DJANGO. I don't know anyone who has complained about that part of the movie.
MediaWatch | January 27, 2013 7:25 PMReply

Westerns and slavery do not mix, obviously, inevitably resulting in the public death of a media figure that is anything but.
Hoyt deSkinee' | January 26, 2013 11:05 PMReply

I really liked Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction. Since then, not so much. It would be nice to see him make a film with a plot again.
Roy Munson | January 22, 2013 8:54 PMReply

There are cops named Nash in Reservoir Dogs and Natural Born Killers -- And there's one on that wanted posted pictured

Mr. White talks about a girl named Alabama in Dogs and she's one of the main characters in True Romance
Sune Jakobsen | January 22, 2013 3:46 PMReply

Did anyone notice one of those slave owners which was in the character of "Tarantinos gang" at almost the end of the movie? I think one of them might be the grand grand grand father of that sheriff character in "From dusk till dawn", "Kill bill", "Planet terror" and "Death proof" named Earl mcGraw
Talie | January 22, 2013 10:38 AMReply

Awesome, in my opinion, Jackie Brown was his best film. He needs to give up the revenge porn for awhile.
sam | January 22, 2013 7:53 PM

i love all of his films, but Jackie also sits at the top of my list of favourite films of his.
Tom | January 22, 2013 1:50 PM

Jackie Brown is underrated when considering Tarantino's filmography. I was mildly disappointed by Django but Tarantino will always get my ass into the theater.
d | January 22, 2013 11:42 AM

agreed. although i loved DJANGO.
DHE | January 22, 2013 10:05 AMReply

I'm suprised Tarantino hasn't worked with Tom Cruise. I think it could be great like what he did in Magnolia or Tropic Thunder
QT Fan | January 22, 2013 9:59 AMReply

The Bride was also buried in the tomb of Paula Schultz, who could be somehow be related to Christoph Waltz's "King Schultz".
James Vega | January 22, 2013 9:50 AMReply

what about gerald nash. also in the smitty bacall gang, decendant of the cops from resevoir dogs and natural born killers
sam | January 22, 2013 9:42 AMReply

i see you guys read Reddit and fail to give credit. that's nice.. :)
sam | January 22, 2013 7:54 PM

well, then, this was stolen from a stolen source without giving credit. better? :)
S | January 22, 2013 10:12 AM

Reddit isn't the source of the internet. If anything Reddit steals more than it creates.