CULTURE

Quentin Tarantino Wants to Make His Major TV Debut With a Limited Series

Quentin Tarantino photographed by Angelo Pennetta for W
Photographed by Angelo Pennetta. Styled by Sara Moonves.

Quentin Tarantino could be stepping into the world of television in a way he never has before. The director revealed during an event in New York on Wednesday that he has plans to make an eight-episode limited series next year, and while Tarantino has worked in the realm of television before, he’s never done it to this extent.

As of now, we don’t have any information about the project, like what it will be about, or the production schedule. In fact, it’s unclear if the series has even been greenlit by any network and whether or not it will move forward at all. The director revealed the news while promoting his new book, Cinema Speculation during a discussion with film critic, Elvis Mitchell, and while Indie Wire is reporting the series will premiere in early 2023, as of now, the trajectory of the project is wholly unclear.

Tarantino has technically worked in TV before. He directed an episode of ER in 1995 and wrote and directed two episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ten years after that. This series, however, were it to come to fruition, would be the first time Tarantino created a show for television.

Assumedly, this means his 10th film, which he has stated will be his last one, is on hold for the time being. “I kind of feel this is the time for the third act [of my life] to just lean a little bit more into the literary, which would be good as a new father, as a new husband,” he said back in 2020. “I wouldn’t be grabbing my family and yanking them to Germany or Sri Lanka or wherever the next story takes place. I can be a little bit more of a homebody, and become a little bit more of a man of letters.” Since then, the director has teased options for that final movie, including the much-desired Kill Bill 3. According to Indie Wire, however, the story will be an original one, meaning we likely won’t be reuniting with The Bride again.

Tarantino’s move to television makes sense, considering he recently admitted on The Video Archives Podcast that he thinks this current time in film is “the worst era in Hollywood history,” matched only by the ‘50s and the ‘80s. Likely, that’s due to the public’s obsession with superhero movies. Earlier this month, Tarantino told the Los Angeles Times he “can’t wait for the day” that those films fall out of favor, much like musical adaptions did in the ‘60s. Of course, that means Tarantino himself would never direct a Marvel or DC film. “You have to be a hired hand to do those things,” he said. “I’m not a hired hand. I’m not looking for a job.”