What Should Quentin Tarantino Do for His 10th (and Presumably Last) Film?

Many of us don’t believe Quentin Tarantino when he says that his 10th movie will be his last, and yet he continues to assert that it is true. It’s possible that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood could be the penultimate time you see Tarantino’s made-up world full of blood, incredibly loquacious anti-heroes, and, of course, Red Apple cigarettes. Of course, the man could change his mind — he would be far from the first to do so.

But it does make the process of choosing his next story even more difficult if it will also serve as the last chapter in his career. As if Tarantino wasn’t already meticulous enough about his projects, you can be sure that he would do his best to make his final film his crowning achievement as a creator.

So where does he go after Once Upon a Time in Hollywood? Let’s break down some of the more fascinating possibilities:

Star Trek?

News has circulated over the last few months that Tarantino has written a Hard-R Star Trek script and has had preliminary discussions with Paramount on the matter. After the lackluster box office performance of Star Trek Beyond and the struggle to re-sign the talented and vastly more expensive cast from the Abrams trilogy, Paramount finds itself in a tricky position when it comes to all things Star Trek. Personally, I love when big studios start to get nervous that their big-time properties might die out completely as it allows for massively creative people such as Quentin Tarantino to swoop in and make their pitch — and be taken seriously.

However, I see this flirtation ending one of two ways: 1) Paramount produces Tarantino’s script, but he does not direct or 2) Paramount scraps it in favor of some other take altogether. The director is one of the most singular voices in Hollywood — if not the most. A big studio trying to shape his will to their command will probably not turn out too well, especially coming from the man who made studios come to his own home and pitch to him how they would back his film through production, marketing, and beyond. That’s not to say that the director is tough to work with, he’s just very particular about his art.

Star Trek would be a fascinating turn for his final film. The hypothetical movie would most likely spark endless think pieces contemplating the true end of the auteur era in Hollywood with one of the last celebrity directors jumping ship to join a property. While it would be funny to see Film Twitter collectively run around with their hair on fire, I just don’t think this outcome is very likely.

Image via Screen Rant

A Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie

But that doesn’t mean that Quentin Tarantino would cast off the science fiction genre altogether. Who knows, maybe he simply re-purposes his Star Trek script as a science fiction tale of his own creation. I personally love the idea of an Inglourious Basterds tavern-esque standoff between two opposing fleets where the tension rises as they discuss Star Trek-like themes of humanity. That is something I would pay top dollar to watch.

Undeniably, Tarantino is one of the most creative minds working in Hollywood; it seems like a reasonable step for him to test his creative limits and go into space in some fashion. Imagine his exploitation aesthetic elevated to alien beings, where instead of using a katana to cut up their enemies, they use a katana…but with LASERS!

To sum up, I’m in. So in.

The picture looked science-y due to its color palette, so why not include it here? Image via IFC

Another Revisionist Historical Epic

The latest version of Quentin Tarantino simultaneously makes history and revises it within his films, offering moments in a package unlike what you’ve seen before about a made-up version of a widely known event or time period. His post-Death Proof directing career — consisting of Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — are all clear comments on the kinds of movies that he grew up with as an avid movie lover. Hell, all of his movies are comments on previous films in that genre. The difference here is that this recent crop of films directly revises historical periods.

Making another one of these films in some form would seem like the betting favorite in Las Vegas if such odds existed. Yet that track record begs the question: do we want Tarantino to go back to the well once more? I guess the answer to that question is in large part connected to the reception of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And because he’s so clearly tied to his influences, we’ll probably get some sort of historical piece in one way or another.

Image via The New York Times

A Spy Movie

You never know, Bond needs a facelift very quickly after Bond 25!

One could argue that Inglourious Basterds is Quentin Tarantino’s spy film, and I don’t necessarily disagree — though it’s certainly aping off of classic men-on-a-mission movies from years ago. For the purpose of this exercise, however, I’m talking full-on spy shit: gadgets, suits, the whole lot. I think Quentin’s screenwriting prowess could be a perfect fit for a tightly-wound spy caper with smokey alleyways and dossier handoffs. He injects a certain, cool aura into his leading male characters, a trait that would be spot-on for a debonair man of mystery. Not to mention that he’s also great at creating a maniacal villain to counter his heroic characters. Every spy movie needs an over-the-top villain.

If nothing else, Tarantino is a master at creating tension through dialogue, which is an awesome tool to have in your back pocket when crafting a spy thriller.

And as a side note: for this project, cast Michael Fassbender in the lead role. His two scenes in Inglourious Basterds as a spy of sorts is the best damn work of his entire career.

Image via Business Insider

A Superhero Movie????

Quentin Tarantino Presents: Avengers 5! Kind of has a ring to it, doesn’t it? At the very least, it would be pretty great to see Tarantino force Disney to show it in 70mm in every single theater in the world.

Part of me wants to see Tarantino play with a +$300 million budget. The other part — the hipster who hates everything that people are generally aware of — won’t even entertain this idea. I will bet the ownership of this website that this doesn’t happen. (If it does, well, then I had my fingers crossed the entire time.) But, like the new Disney+ show that was announced at Comic-Con, playing the what-if game is always enthralling, especially when it revolves around a mind as creative and inventive as Quentin Tarantino.

Image via The Hollywood Reporter

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