When Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood hit theaters in 2019, Sony Pictures enjoyed critical acclaim, ten Oscar nominations, and a $377 million global box office haul. Naturally, the studio was eager to stay in business with the iconic auteur for his next venture—a standalone sequel centered on Brad Pitt’s Oscar-winning stuntman, Cliff Booth.
However, the project—now titled The Adventures of Cliff Booth—ultimately wound up in the hands of streaming giant Netflix.
In a candid interview with Variety, Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman opened up about the studio’s disappointment over losing the high-profile feature, revealing the chain of events that led to the project migrating away from Sony.
Why ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ Moved to Netflix
According to Rothman, Sony was fully prepared to produce and distribute the film when Tarantino was slated to sit in the director’s chair. However, after Tarantino decided to step back from directing the script himself, he placed a strict condition on who could take over the reins: David Fincher.
Because Fincher operates under an exclusive long-term feature deal with Netflix, Sony was forced to step aside.
“David Fincher is exclusive to Netflix. We were going to make the movie when Quentin [Tarantino] was directing it, but he decided that he didn’t want to do it and changed course,” Rothman told Variety. “The only other person that he was comfortable directing his script was David Fincher, and David Fincher was exclusive to Netflix, so we were not going to stand in anybody’s way.”
Rothman admitted that Sony was disappointed to lose out on distributing the film, but recognized that standing in the way would have meant stopping the movie from being made altogether.
A Historic Tarantino-Fincher-Pitt Collaboration
While Sony may be mourning the loss of theatrical distribution rights, cinema fans are getting an unprecedented meeting of creative minds.
The Adventures of Cliff Booth marks the first time David Fincher will direct a screenplay written by Quentin Tarantino. It also serves as a high-stakes reunion between Fincher and Brad Pitt, who previously collaborated on modern classics like Se7en, Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Key Details About the Upcoming Film:
- The Premise: Set in 1977 Los Angeles—eight years after the events of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—the film follows former stuntman Cliff Booth as he navigates the gritty underbelly of Hollywood as an industry “studio fixer.”
- The Cast: Alongside Brad Pitt returning as Booth, the star-studded ensemble includes Timothy Olyphant, Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Holt McCallany.
- The Budget: Clocking in at a reported $200 million, the project stands as the most expensive film in the careers of both Tarantino and Fincher.
When Can Audiences Watch It?
Despite ending up at a streaming platform, The Adventures of Cliff Booth won’t skip the big screen entirely.
Netflix has partnered with IMAX for a rare two-week exclusive theatrical run beginning November 25, 2026, giving fans the chance to experience the Tarantino-penned, Fincher-directed spectacle on premium large format screens before it begins streaming globally on Netflix on December 23, 2026.
