Hollywood’s latest power move has set the industry buzzing, and darlings, it’s absolutely delicious. The sequel to “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” isn’t just happening—it’s evolving into something far more intriguing than anyone could have imagined. Netflix (fresh off its 2025 acquisition spree) has managed to snag both Brad Pitt and director David Fincher for this unexpected continuation, proving that streaming giants can still pull off the impossible.
Let’s dish about the cast, shall we?
Brad Pitt—eternally radiant and somehow aging backward like some sort of Benjamin Button fever dream—returns as Cliff Booth, the role that snagged him that long-overdue Oscar. But here’s where things get particularly juicy: Elizabeth Debicki, fresh from her masterclass in restrained elegance as Princess Diana, is joining the ensemble. So is Scott Caan, in what feels like a perfectly timed reunion with his former Ocean’s co-star.
The whole affair reads like a particularly clever game of Hollywood musical chairs. Quentin Tarantino—who’d initially considered this sequel for his swan song—handed the reins to Fincher. Word around Chateau Marmont suggests Pitt’s gentle nudging might have influenced this changing of the guard. Rather fitting, considering how seamlessly Fincher and Pitt’s previous collaborations have melded—from the nihilistic punch of “Fight Club” to “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’s” ethereal meditation on time.
Speaking of time—the sequel’s setting remains more closely guarded than the latest A24 script. While the original basked in the sunset glow of 1969’s Hollywood, this follow-up presumably ventures into darker territory. Perhaps the gritty glamour of the ’70s? The cocaine-dusted excess of the ’80s? The possibilities are deliciously endless.
Production kicks off this July in California, though Netflix maintains their trademark sphinx-like silence on official details. Whispers from deep within the industry hint at plot elements involving a decidedly unconventional cocktail lounge-meets-mud wrestling establishment. Another thread supposedly follows a trophy wife character—though in Fincher’s hands, one suspects any such role would subvert expectations rather spectacularly.
For Debicki, this role adds another gleaming facet to her already impressive repertoire. The actress has proven herself equally at home in Marvel’s cosmic playground as in Nolan’s temporal gymnastics. Meanwhile, Caan’s return to Pitt’s orbit feels like catching up with old friends at Musso & Frank—comfortable yet charged with possibility.
The original film served as Tarantino’s sun-drenched valentine to an era. Now, with Fincher’s precisely calibrated lens focused on this world, we’re likely in for something altogether different—trading those golden-hour shots for something more akin to sodium-vapor-lit noir. His notorious perfectionism (still legendary after that 2024 project that reportedly took 200 takes for a single scene) might just be exactly what this continuation needs.
In an era where sequels often feel as mass-produced as celebrity skincare lines, this project stands apart. It’s not merely chasing nostalgia—it’s pursuing something far more ambitious. With this level of talent both behind and before the camera, we might just be witnessing the birth of that rarest of Hollywood creatures: a sequel that outshines its predecessor.
Now wouldn’t that be something?
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