In a recent interview on the MTV podcast Happy Sad Confused, director Quentin Tarantino confirmed that he’s still talking with “The Bride” Uma Thurman about continuing their critically acclaimed martial arts film series, Kill Bill.
“Me and Uma have talked about it recently, frankly, to tell you the truth,” Tarantino said in the interview. “I have thought about it a little further. We were talking about it literally last week. If any of my movies were going to spring from my other movies, it would be a third Kill Bill.”
The first installment, Kill Bill Volume 1, came out in October 2003, and sequel Kill Bill Volume 2 came out April 2004. Tarantino has often spoken about wanting to continue the series with a third installment that tells the story of the now-adult daughter of Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), Nikki Bell, pursuing vengeance against Beatrix/The Bride for killing her mother.
It’s a story that has been set up since Volume 1, wherein Beatrix tells Nikki, ” It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that I’m sorry, but you can take my word for it: Your mother had it comin’. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I’ll be waitin’.”
Problem is that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will be Tarantino’s ninth directorial film, meaning he’s only got one film left if he’s serious about retiring. Tarantino told GQ Australia, “I think when it comes to theatrical movies, I’ve come to the end of the road. I see myself writing film books and starting to write theatre, so I’ll still be creative. I just think I’ve given all I have to give to movies.”
He still has that potential R-rated Star Trek film in the pipeline, so it may come down to Star Trek vs. Kill Bill Volume 3 to end his film career.
Personally, I have been a fan of Tarantino for years,, and for a long time he was the director I looked to as an example of the kind of creative mind I’d emulate if I were a director. In retrospect, while I still think he is a talented director, his last few films have highlighted how much he really needs an editor to help his vision come to life. He was also responsible for putting Uma Thurman in a situation where he forced her to undertake a dangerous stunt on the set of Kill Bill that left her with a “permanently damaged neck and … screwed-up knees.”
I’m down for Thurman taking whatever roles she wants, and if she has chosen to forgive the director for putting her in danger, that is her right, but it still makes me feel uncomfortable. No man’s “genius” or “vision” should ever go before the safety of his cast and crew. I hope that Tarantino has truly learned since these events, but at the same time, I feel like he has not really had to really deal with any severe backlash, and that makes me wonder if people really care about the lives at risk if there is a good movie at the end of it.
(via IndieWire, image: Miramax)
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