After Once Upon A Time In Hollywood was released in 2019, the arrival of writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s ninth movie meant only one thing: his next film is supposed to be the last in his storied filmography. Though there are some loopholes present, defining what sort of projects do or don’t count in this ten movie ultimatum, Mr. Tarantino’s retirement from cinema is impending. Another party that’s absolutely convinced this is true, for better or worse, is frequent collaborator Tim Roth.
Mr. Roth was a recent guest of the Overdue Rentals podcast, and the subject of working with his Reservoir Dogs director turned towards that fabled ten movie limit. The actor was as confident about that self-imposed limit as he has been when working with Tarantino through the years. Reinforcing how tightly knit Tarantino is with the actors he frequently employs, Tim Roth explained why he trusts the ten film plan is airtight:
He seems to be true to his word, I mean, when we’ve spoken about it. Basically, all of his actors are on standby. That’s just how it goes: if he calls, you’re up and you’re in; and not to be offended if you’re not. It’s just the gang. Me and the gang from The Hateful Eight still have a text thing, which we started on set when we were shooting. We’re all such a tight group, so we are very aware that it possibly is. Quentin has always said he didn’t want to just keep making films that got gradually worse as he got older.
Quentin Tarantino has told the story many times about how directing legends like John Huston have made one too many films that go on to dilute their legacies. So in an effort to prevent that from happening to himself, Tarantino decided to limit himself to ten movies: no more, no less. The man is so dead set on this claim that when it comes time to his next film’s promotion, he wants to market it as “The Last Film by Quentin Tarantino.”
With that much on the line, you’d have to wonder if Tim Roth expects to star in that final film in the line. That subject also arose and helped give way to the greater discussion of just how much the Quentin Tarantino repertory troupe love their director. Much as you’d expect, Mr. Roth expressed a sentiment about potentially working on Tarantino’s career capping project that anyone could agree with, saying:
So if this is the last film he makes, and there’ll be other things that he does, I know that for sure, then we’re all just standing by. Wherever we are in the world, we will go. It’s incredible. He wants to go out with a bang, I know that. And he will, he will not go out with a whimper. He’s an amazing guy. … He’s loved by his actors.
Should the Quentin-Signal go up, beckoning Tim Roth and any of the other loyal actors in the director’s stable to follow, you can bet they’ll be there. Knowing that this next time out is his last, Mr. Tarantino might even be motivated to bring all of his friends back for his ultimate shindig, in addition to enticing some newcomers. There’s no hurry, as while history will be made when the Book of QT is closed, it will be bittersweet to know that it will be the end to a cinematic odyssey of unique proportions.
Whatever this movie is, let’s just hope that Tim Roth escapes his Once Upon A Time In Hollywood fate and actually remains in the picture. His most recent film, Resurrection, recently premiered at Sundance and has yet to land a release date. More than likely, it’ll join the schedule of 2022 movie releases headed to a theater near you. So keep your eyes peeled for any new updates that arise.