If you’ve ever thought that Quentin Tarantino’s dialogue would sound just as good onstage, it turns out that you’re not alone. The celebrated filmmaker is currently planning to write and direct a stage adaptation of his latest film The Hateful Eight.
“I’ve thought it out completely. I’m just waiting for this [awards] season to be over so I can write it,” Tarantino told TheWrap following Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony. “I gotta put myself there and write it for this.”
Tarantino went on to reveal that Harvey Weinstein had originally tried to persuade him to produce the script as a stage play instead of a film.
“Harvey actually — he tried to talk me into doing it as a play first,” said Tarantino. “He said, ‘Let’s just say this out loud before we commit to doing the movie.’ And I was like, ‘Look, I could. But I like the mystery aspect and the mystery aspect will really only work in the movie. And I have the 70mm and I have the snow. So let me do that.’”
The suggestion was not without some precedent after Tarantino staged a well-received live reading of The Hateful Eight script that leaked in 2014. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be an either/or proposition, and while I haven’t yet seen The Hateful Eight, everything I know about the film makes it seem like a natural fit for a live venue. The dialogue-driven drama about a group of miserable bastards trapped in a lodge during a blizzard is set primarily in one single location, and a smaller stage should make the claustrophobic atmosphere even more intense.
Either way, the prospect of one of Tarantino’s scripts making it to the stage is incredibly exciting. It would be fascinating to see how other actors interpret his distinct characters, which have always existed in a fixed form on the screen. My inner theatre nerd would love to see more of Tarantino’s work onstage (student productions of Reservoir Dogs, anyone?), so here’s hoping we don’t have to live in LA in order to see his upcoming project.
