According to Deadline, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will join Brad Pitt in David Fincher’s upcoming Cliff Booth movie. The follow-up to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood may have sounded like an April Fool’s joke at first, but it is a very real thing.
Very little has been confirmed about the project, but the report has heard that Mateen’s character is modelled after Jim Brown, the iconic Football player who retired early to pursue an acting career, appearing in movies such as The Dirty Dozen. Pitt will star as Cliff Booth, a former stuntman who has embarked on a new career as a Hollywood fixer. The film is said to be titled The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth. Further details have stated that the sequel will take place roughly eight years after the events of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It’s also been rumoured that Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to make an appearance as Rick Dalton, but it would likely be a small role if it happens.
Elizabeth Debicki and Scott Caan joined the project last month, but it’s unclear who they will play in the project. That report stated that the story calls for two key female roles: one who runs a bar and mud wrestling establishment, and the other who is a trophy wife. Debicki could play either of these roles, or perhaps a completely different one. There are no details about Caan’s character, but he will reunite with Pitt, with whom he appeared alongside in the Ocean’s Eleven movies.
The project originated from Tarantino’s scrapped script for what would have been his tenth and final movie. Pitt was very interested in his character’s part, and asked Tarantino if he would let someone else take the helm of the project. The director responded that it would depend on who he had in mind. Enter David Fincher, who quickly earned Tarantino’s blessing.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has several major projects coming up, including starring in Marvel’s Wonder Man series, which will debut on Disney+ this December. He’s also starring in Netflix’s Man on Fire series based on the novels by A. J. Quinnell. The description reads: “Once a high functioning and skilled Special Forces Mercenary, known for surviving even the most desolate of situations, Creasy (Mateen) is now plagued with intense PTSD. Determined to overcome his personal demons, he sets out on a path to redemption. But, before he can adjust to this new life, he finds himself back in the fire, fighting harder than ever.“
