Remember that screenplay of Quentin Tarantino’s that leaked online, sending the writer/director into a tizzy that ended up with him deciding not to make the film? Well, that script, The Hateful Eight, may actually be getting that big-screen treatment in the near future.
The Pulp Fiction director hosted a live read of that first draft this weekend at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles and revealed that he was working on a second draft of the story. Furthermore, the readers assembled to go through The Hateful Eight include many of the director’s friends and collaborators – meaning the cast here could reflect Tarantino’s final casting choices.
Among those included in the live read were Samuel L. Jackson as Major Marquis Warren and Kurt Russell as bounty hunter John Ruth. Rounding out the ensemble was Walton Goggins, Bruce Dern, Zoe Bell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Amber Tamblyn, Denis Menochet, James Parks, James Remar and Dana Gourrier.
The western, which could run close to three hours if the script’s length is any indication, is set after the civil war during a Wyoming snowstorm. There are only two locations: a stagecoach and a small mountainside haberdashery where the characters escape the storm. The Hateful Eight sounds like a more intimate affair than the sprawling period pieces that were Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds, although those who have read the script claim it still has the bloody brutality and strong profanity associated with his oeuvre.
Also at The Hateful Eight‘s reading this weekend were Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who have supported Tarantino since Pulp Fiction. Perhaps the reading was a pitch to those executives to finance the movie?
The reading Saturday night was more of a work-in progress than a finished script, as Tarantino explained that the final chapter of the first draft will be different from the last section of the second draft. He also said that he rehearsed the 146-page script with the cast for three days.
No word has been announced regarding shooting details or confirmed casting, but all signs point to The Hateful Eight getting made in the near future.
