Sometime back in 1991, David Fincher made the jump to the movies. Fincher had already established himself as an impressive visual stylist, directing the music videos for Madonna’s “Vogue” and “Express Yourself,” and had worked in Hollywood as an employee at George Lucas‘ Industrial Light & Magic. Unfortunately Fincher’s experience making his debut feature Alien 3 went so badly that, to this day, he still disowns the finished film.
Yet, it’s hard not to think about Alien sequels while watching the latest trailer for The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. Not because xenomorphs burst from the chest of the titular stuntman, played once again by Brad Pitt. There’s nothing sci-fi on display in the trailer, just shots of Booth swaggering his way through 1970s Hollywood, and looking incredibly cool while he does it. Rather, we think of Alien 3 because that franchise is all about distinctive auteurs making sequels, and we’re happy to see the tradition continue.
Released in 2019, Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood featured Pitt’s Booth and Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton, a fading Hollywood actor. While driver/stunt double Cliff did handyman work and flirted with what turned out to be members of the Manson Family, Rick took on increasingly demeaning television guest roles and pondered making “Eye-talian” movies overseas. Part love-letter to Hollywood and part revisionist history, the film ends with Cliff and Rick battling the Mansons, thereby allowing Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) to continue to live.
Though the movie ended on a hopeful note for the future, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood wasn’t exactly calling out for a sequel. But that’s not the only reason we’re excited that Tarantino decided to only write the script for The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth instead of stepping behind the camera to direct too. We’re also excited because Fincher has his own compelling style, making cool and precise movies instead of the excessive and referential films that Tarantino makes. With Fincher directing, Cliff Booth has the potential to be its own movie instead of just a sequel.
