Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to screen at Cannes

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

One of the most hotly anticipated movies of the summer is Quentin Tarantino’s latest, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and every other actor you can think of. The majority of us have to wait until the end of July to see the new epic-length movie from the maestro, but now Cannes Film Festival is getting a surprise as it was announced today the movie will have its world premiere at this year’s festivities.

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When the initial slate of movies confirmed for Cannes was announced last month festival director Thierry Frémaux said the movie would “not be ready” to screen in time. However, Frémaux said via a press statement that Tarantino and his team have been toiling day and night, and now the movie is ready to be shown to the world for the first time, and in competition for the coveted Palme d’Or.

“We were afraid the film would not be ready, as it wouldn’t be ready until late July, but Quentin Tarantino, who has not left the editing room in four months, is a real, loyal and punctual child of Cannes! Like for Inglourious Basterds, he’ll definitely be there – 25 years after the Palme d’or for Pulp Fiction – with a finished film screened in 35mm and his cast in tow (Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt). His film is a love letter to the Hollywood of his childhood, a rock music tour of 1969, and an ode to cinema as a whole.

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Tarantino’s movie will be shown in competition with other movies from notable directors, including Terrence Malick’s A HIDDEN LIFE, Jim Jarmusch’s THE DEAD DON’T DIE, Bong Joon-ho’s PARASITE and Pedro Almodóvar’s PAIN AND GLORY.

Set in 1969, at the turn of a turbulent age in the entertainment industry and America, HOLLYWOOD stars DiCaprio as actor Rick Dalton and Pitt as his stunt double Cliff Booth as the two navigate the town and try to make it big in the business. The movie also stars Robbie as actress Sharon Tate, Al Pacino as Marvin Schwarzs, Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen, Bruce Dern as George Spahn, Emile Hirsch as Jay Sebring, Damon Herriman as Charles Manson and too many more to count.

The initial announcement that HOLLYWOOD would not be ready in time to screen was a bit of a disappointment for anyone anxious to hear how the director's latest turned out. But now we'll only have to wait a couple of weeks before the first reactions come trickling out. There are few filmmakers who can get audiences this excited about an original movie these days, and already the trailer has solidified this as one of the must-see movies of the summer. If you need further proof, watch it again and get a reminder. 

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD is in theaters July 26.