David Fincher has stated that significant revisions were necessary to adapt Quentin Tarantino’s The Further Mis-Adventures Of Cliff Booth for the screen before filming could commence.
The upcoming Netflix feature marks Brad Pitt’s return as the Oscar-winning stuntman, originally crafted by Tarantino in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, with Fincher now directing the spin-off adaptation.
Set in 1977, eight years after the events of the original film, the story finds Cliff confronting a web of murder, blackmail, theft, and extortion, as outlined in the official logline.
While Los Angeles may no longer require a hippie-slaying stuntman as it once did, Hollywood’s enduring problems demand someone with Cliff’s distinctive — and occasionally extralegal — skill set. Beyond bartending or working as a projectionist, Cliff Booth operates as a fixer, resolving dilemmas for Hollywood’s elite and those on the fringes alike.
In a recent interview with Empire, Fincher detailed his creative involvement. ‘The first draft I read was 230 pages—essentially two movies. Somewhere within lay the intersection of what Brad desired, what I desired, and what Quentin envisioned. It wasn’t so much about plot as it was about how the participants collided in Hollywood’s back alleys in 1977.’
‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ functioned as a hangout film, with its inevitable journey to Cielo Drive carrying inherent weight. I didn’t require much additional plot,’ Tarantino noted. ‘This script was entirely different.’ He characterizes The Further Mis-Adventures Of Cliff Booth more like a crime-story paperback.
The ensemble includes Elizabeth Debicki as talent agent Karen Crosby, Scott Caan as TV megastar Charlie Peters, Carla Gugino as Charlie’s wife Toni, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as former footballer turned screen star Roderick ‘Hot Rod’ Harrison, alongside Matt Groove and JB Tadena portraying the gangster Verdusco brothers, all starring opposite Pitt.
Tarantino continues Cliff Booth’s narrative in print with the forthcoming novel The Adventures Of Cliff Booth, following his earlier novelisation of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Regarding his decision to entrust the Netflix project to Fincher, Tarantino remarked: ‘I believe David Fincher and I are the two preeminent directors. His adaptation of my work signals a level of seriousness that must be acknowledged.’
The Further Mis-Adventures Of Cliff Booth will debut with an exclusive two-week global IMAX engagement beginning November 25, before streaming on Netflix December 23.