Quentin Tarantino is one of those filmmakers whose passion for cinema knows no bounds. He writes and directs his own work and prefers it that way. Known for his wacky and stylized narratives that are character-driven, he propels the film in entertaining ways and delivers a solidly auteurist work. Witty dialogues, creative visuals, unique characters, and wacky narratives constitute a Tarantino film.
Infamously, the scripts for some of his films got leaked on the internet. The final drafts of Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, and Django Unchained were available on the internet before anyone could see the film. However, it did not create much hysteria since they were completed drafts of the films.
The 2014 leak of The Hateful Eight script was big controversial news at the time. The handing of copies of the script to the actors of the film might have been a mistake as that led to the controversial leak. It was a frustrating thing for Tarantino and he was determined to find out the culprit behind it which led to many accusations and finger-pointing.
Quentin Tarantino Threatened to Cancel The Hateful Eight Due to the Leak
After Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino had started writing the script for The Hateful Eight, which he decided was gonna be his next film. He had completed the first draft of the script and had given copies of it to his actors who were cast for the project. But somehow, the script got leaked on the internet and Tarantino was furious as it was not a finished script and had only given the actors to read just to get a gist of what the film was gonna be about. He told Deadline,
“I gave it to one of the producers on Django Unchained, Reggie Hudlin, and he let an agent come to his house and read it,” Tarantino said. “That’s a betrayal, but not crippling because the agent didn’t end up with the script. There is an ugly maliciousness to the rest of it. I gave it to three actors: Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth. The one I know didn’t do this is Tim Roth. One of the others let their agent read it, and that agent has now passed it on to everyone in Hollywood.
I don’t know how these fucking agents work, but I’m not making this next. I’m going to publish it, and that’s it for now. I give it out to six people, and if I can’t trust them to that degree, then I have no desire to make it. I’ll publish it. I’m done. I’ll move on to the next thing. I’ve got 10 more where that came from.”
The article also noted that Tarantino suspects the agency that represents actor Bruce Dern, CAA could be the main culprit behind the mess. Unfortunately, the real culprit behind this controversy was never found. Tarantino eventually made the film and released it in 2015.
The Leak Made Quentin Tarantino Really Sad As It Involved His Most Trusted Friends
The leak of The Hateful Eight script led Quentin Tarantino to question the loyalty and friendship of his long-time collaborators and actors including Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, and Michael Madsen. This made him extremely depressed and sad as he trusted them and never expected them to betray him that way. He told Entertainment Weekly,
“The reason it was so bad was because the small group of people involved who had to be guilty,” says Tarantino. “And these were people I trusted. Normally when I actually show it to people, I’m done. But this first draft was literally just showing it to just a few friends. There were scenes that I wasn’t even ready to write yet, situations I hadn’t even figured out yet. That’s why it was so not ready for anybody but just a couple of the inner circle.”
Tarantino has since stopped making copies of his scripts and instructs actors to read the original draft of the script in his presence for future films as he did for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Currently, he has two projects coming up. He will be working on an untitled eight-episode TV series for which details are kept under wraps. He will also be directing his tenth film called The Movie Critic, which will be supposedly his last feature film.
Sources: Deadline, Entertainment Weekly
