Tarantino Has Written His Tenth Film Script — But He Wants to 'Live a Little' First

Quentin Tarantino has finished writing the script for his tenth and, by his own long-standing account, final feature film. He confirmed it on a recent episode of "The Graham Norton Show" — his first appearance on the program in more than a decade — sitting alongside Ellen DeGeneres, Colin Farrell and Gemma Chan.

The catch: nothing happens with that script until his stage debut closes.

"I've written a script that I really like, but I want to do the play and see who I am; then I'll then go back and spend time with my family and live a little and then see what I want to do," Tarantino said.

What does this change for the tenth film?

Not the plan, but the timeline. Tarantino has repeatedly said he'll retire after his tenth feature, and nothing in his comments walks that back. What he's doing is sequencing: play first, family second, film third. The script exists and he likes it — that's the hard news. The production, the shoot, the release date: all of that waits.

The immediate project is "The Popinjay Cavalier," a "swashbuckling comedy" starring Sacha Baron Cohen. It opens at London's Phoenix Theatre next March, after previews in late February, and runs three months, closing on June 13.

Tarantino also cleared up the play's origin on the Norton couch. It began as a screenplay — until he realized, in his words, "it really worked as a play." His verdict on the finished piece: "I think it will be thrilling."

When the production was announced, he was already selling the evening rather than the experiment. "I'm keen with anticipation to give the West End a great night out," he said in a statement.

Why the play counts as the real story

A director who has spent three decades in cinema moving to theatre is a genuine pivot, not a side gig. The three-month West End run gives Tarantino his first sustained feedback from live audiences — a mechanism no film set provides. He framed the play as part self-discovery: he wants to "see who I am" before committing to a final film.

That framing matters for how we read the tenth movie. He isn't just delaying it; he's using the stage as a testing ground for what the last statement of his film career should be.

Where his film career stands

His most recent feature remains "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (2019), with Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie and Margaret Qualley. Pitt won the Oscar for best supporting actor; Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh won for production design. Tarantino picked up nominations for best picture and best director, and DiCaprio for best actor.

So the gap between films is already at least six years and counting. If the tenth film shoots after the play closes in June and after the family time Tarantino has promised himself, a release before 2027 looks unlikely.

For now, the concrete date on the calendar belongs to theatre: "The Popinjay Cavalier" at the Phoenix Theatre from late-February previews, official opening in March, closing June 13. Everything after that — the script he "really likes" included — stays in the drawer until Tarantino decides he's lived enough.

By Grace Kim