Quentin Tarantino has teased the first few details about his upcoming new film The Movie Critic – and in the process, debunked a theory that it'll center on world-renowned writer Pauline Kael. The filmmaker also revealed that the flick will start filming in Los Angeles this fall, which means it might not be too long before we see it in cinemas.
Tarantino was taking part in a Q&A event at the Grand Rex Theater in Paris, France recently when he said that the movie will be set in 1977. Presumably knowing that the period setting would fuel speculation that the titular critic is Kael, who worked for The New Yorker between 1968 and 1991, he quickly went on to state that she will not be the focus.
During her career, Kael was known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews and in her obituary, journalist Roger Ebert claimed that she "had a more positive influence on the climate for film in America than any other single person over the last three decades."
Back in the late 70s, Tarantino was around 14 years old and was, admittedly, hugely inspired by several emerging powerhouse directors of the era, such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola. The year also saw the release of cinema epics Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, so it's no real wonder that that'll be the Hollywood backdrop for his latest picture.
Before the internet was invented, and anyone with a Twitter account could share their immediate thoughts on a movie they'd just seen, the voices of people like Kael were well-regarded and influential. Perhaps, though, The Movie Critic won't be about a real-life movie critic at all but rather Tarantino, who has always shared his opinions on cinema unabashedly, himself.
While we wait for more news on Tarantino's next project, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way in 2023 and beyond.
