Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood universe is set to expand amid the 2026 movie schedule with the release of The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. Directed by David Fincher, this spinoff/continuation film sees Brad Pitt reprising his role as the titular character, as he continues to navigate the hazards of Tinseltown. While much of the finer details of the movie have been kept under wraps, some lucky fans were recently treated to the first 17 minutes. And, while I appreciate the reactions, I have one major question.
Fans Sound Off On The New Footage From The Cliff Booth Movie
This past Friday, Tarantino appeared at AFI Fest in Los Angeles, where he took part in a Q&A centered around OUATIH. It was during the event that the Oscar-winning filmmaker dropped the first 17 minutes of the Cliff Booth flick. Some pundits who were in attendance subsequently took to social media to share their thoughts. Overall, people seem to be quite high on this new flick, based on the early reactions on X. Film critic Matt Neglia has nothing but praise for what’s been screened thus far:
Just saw the first 17 minutes of THE FURTHER MIS-ADVENTURES OF CLIFF BOOTH at [AFI Fest]. Can’t give away plot details other than it featured the shots below but what I can say is I think David Fincher directing a Quentin Tarantino screenplay is going to be one hell of a good time.
Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch was also in attendance at the festival and, while his thoughts on the Cliff Booth footage are brief, they’re quite clear. He says:
Just saw the first 17 minutes of The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, and it was fucking great! Can’t wait to see the rest!
Cliff Booth picks up roughly eight years after the end of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and sees Booth no longer working as a stuntman for Rick Dalton or any other actor. Instead, the laid-back, yet physically capable, guy has now become a “fixer” for Hollywood studios. Despite this chance, it seems one fan – kenzie xcx – is still taken with this latest story revolving around Cliff:
First 17 minutes of Cliff Booth are truly magical and remind me why I fell in love with this character in the first place. So excited to see the rest of this fincher film and adventure of my favorite stuntman.
Tarantino – who wrote the script for this new film – officially signed off on Fincher helming the project, as the former didn’t want the movie to be his planned tenth and final film. It would seem that the Kill Bill helmer’s confidence in the acclaimed Fincher has been well placed, as another fan, MightyMike616, has this to say about the Seven director’s personal touches:
Quentin Tarantino showed me the first 17 minutes of the new Cliff Booth movie. I attended last night’s AFI Fest screening of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at the TCL Chinese Theatre, where Tarantino unexpectedly treated the audience to footage from The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. Brad Pitt returns as Cliff Booth, with David Fincher directing Tarantino’s screenplay. I really enjoyed what I saw. The footage felt distinctly Fincher-esque, with a darker, more psychologically driven tone than Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It’s fascinating seeing Tarantino’s characters through Fincher’s lens. Based on those first 17 minutes, I think we’re getting a very different kind of film.
Up to this point, much of the general public has only seen a trailer for the Cliff Booth movie and, before that, only a brief Super Bowl trailer had been released. Fans may have seen less than half an hour of the movie at this point, but the early responses could bode well for its performance when it hits theaters and drops on Netflix later this year. But, even amid the praise, there’s one thing I want to know.
I Have One Big Question About Cliff Booth
While I understand that audiences haven’t seen much of the movie at this point, I can’t help but notice that none of the reactors have mentioned humor when sharing thoughts about the first 17 minutes. I know this is a movie by David Fincher, the man who’s directed the likes of Zodiac and Mank. However, comedy was also in the DNA of Tarantino’s OUATIH, and it would be somewhat jarring if that didn’t come into play here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m down for a fresh take from Fincher, but there are so many comedic possibilities with a character like Booth, especially now that he’s a studio fixer.
I could, of course, just be overthinking this, and there could indeed end up being a fair amount of levity. After all, it’s still Quentin Tarantino’s script and, given his sensibilities, I can’t see him not adding any kind of jokes into the screenplay. Like myself, fans are likely to still have questions and thoughts ahead of the Cliff Booth movie’s release. Still, after hearing these early reactions, I’m even more hopeful that David Fincher, Brad Pitt and co. are delivering something grand.
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth opens in theaters on November 25, and the movie will become available for Netflix subscription holders starting on December 23.
