Today in news that’s unlikely to attract much attention — or, for that matter, debate — but about which we nevertheless write, THR inform us Quentin Tarantino has likely found material for his ninth feature: the Manson Family and their murder of Sharon Tate. (What, you were hoping for a documentary about cricket?) It’s early days, but a familiar pattern’s already emerged: he’s “putting the finishing touches on the script,” approaching A-listers (Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lawrence, the latter not as Sharon Tate, a role which Margot Robbie is circling, according to Deadline), working with the Weinsteins, and eyeing a shooting-start date (summer 2018).
Though there’s more to unpack here than a, let’s be honest, strike-while-the-iron’s-hot news item will really permit. To say nothing of the fact that this is Tarantino’s first film dealing explicitly with a real-world leading character, THR only raise more questions about what the “unique take.” An anthology (or anthology-like) picture is not in the least surprising from him, but mere notice that “one of the stories centers on Sharon Tate” is enough to raise the idea that this is not to follow the general structure of the many (and almost entirely forgotten) depictions of these events — and that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. But I’m just spit-balling here. if we can expect any one thing of a late Tarantino picture, it’s this: Film Twitter is going to be a brutal place when the thing finally hits.