Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-winning character returns in a darker Hollywood story set eight years after Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, with an exclusive IMAX release before its Netflix debut.
Brad Pitt is heading back to Hollywood, but the fairy tale is over. The Academy Award-winning actor reprises his role as Cliff Booth in The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, a new crime thriller directed by David Fincher and written by Quentin Tarantino.
Set in 1977, the film picks up eight years after the events of Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. This time, Cliff navigates a changing Los Angeles, where his particular set of skills has become useful for reasons that have little to do with traditional stunt work.
Brad Pitt Returns to a Darker Hollywood as Cliff Booth
Audiences first met Cliff Booth in Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, where he served as the longtime stunt double, driver, and closest friend of fading television star Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
The film famously rewrote the tragic events surrounding the Manson family in 1969, giving Hollywood an alternate ending that allowed Sharon Tate to survive. Pitt’s performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Eight years later, Cliff’s life has taken a very different turn.
The former stuntman now earns a living working occasional shifts as a bartender and projectionist. However, his primary occupation involves handling Hollywood’s problems as a fixer.
Whether dealing with powerful industry figures or people operating outside the law, Cliff has developed a reputation for resolving situations through methods that are not always legal.
His latest assignment begins when talent agent Karen Crosby (Elizabeth Debicki) contacts him on behalf of her client, television superstar Charlie Peters (Scott Caan).
Peters has built his career around performing his own stunts, creating an intriguing connection to Cliff’s former profession. What begins as an assignment soon introduces Cliff to a complicated network of Hollywood personalities, dangerous individuals and hidden agendas.
The story trades the original film’s alternate-history fairy tale for a crime narrative driven by ambition, violence and desire.
Elizabeth Debicki, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Scott Caan Join the Cast
The sequel surrounds Pitt with an ensemble of characters who represent different corners of 1970s Hollywood.
Carla Gugino portrays Toni Peters, Charlie’s perceptive wife, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Roderick “Hot Rod” Harrison, a professional football champion who has transitioned into acting.
Matt Groove and JB Tadena portray the Verdusco brothers, mysterious gangsters who cause trouble throughout Los Angeles.
The supporting cast also includes Peter Weller, Corey Fogelmanis and Karren Karagulian.
The combination of Hollywood power players, former athletes turned actors, and organized crime creates a world where Cliff’s experience with dangerous situations becomes especially valuable.
Although the film continues the character’s story, its new premise shifts the focus from Rick Dalton’s fading career to Cliff’s place within the entertainment industry.
David Fincher Takes Over Directing Duties From Quentin Tarantino
One of the film’s most significant creative changes is the collaboration between Fincher and Tarantino.
Tarantino returns to write the screenplay but hands directing duties to Fincher. The project also reunites Fincher with Pitt following their previous collaborations on Se7en, Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Pitt and Ceán Chaffin serve as producers.
Several of Fincher’s longtime collaborators are also involved, including cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, production designer Donald Graham Burt and editor Kirk Baxter.
Additional crew members include casting director Laray Mayfield, costume designer Trish Summerville, sound designer Ren Klyce and stunt coordinator Dave Macomber.
With Tarantino returning to the character he created and Fincher stepping behind the camera, the sequel brings together two filmmakers with distinct approaches to storytelling.
The result is a new chapter that moves Cliff Booth beyond the events of the original film and into a world where Hollywood’s problems require more than a stunt double.
Brad Pitt Continues a Busy Run With Heart of the Beast
Cliff Booth’s return also comes during a busy period for Pitt, who is preparing to headline another action-driven film.
The actor stars in David Ayer’s Heart of the Beast, reuniting with the filmmaker behind the 2014 war drama Fury.
The survival thriller follows James Belmont, a Special Forces officer who becomes stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog, Odin, following a plane crash.
Together, they must endure the unforgiving environment as they fight to survive.
Heart of the Beast opens in theaters September 25, giving audiences another look at Pitt in a physically demanding role before his return as Cliff Booth later in the year.
While the survival thriller sends Pitt into the wilderness, his next adventure brings him back to Hollywood’s underworld.
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth opens exclusively in IMAX theaters worldwide on November 25 for a two-week engagement before streaming on Netflix beginning December 23.
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
