- Quentin Tarantino said he has no interest in directing a blockbuster superhero movie.
- The director spoke to the Los Angeles Times about his new book "Cinema Speculation."
Quentin Tarantino said he has no interest in directing a superhero movie because he's "not a hired hand."
The director spoke with Los Angeles Times columnist Glenn Whipp in an interview published Thursday, which coincided with the November 1 release of his book "Cinema Speculation."
Tarantino told the LA Times he thinks filmmakers "can't wait for the day" that superhero movies aren't popular anymore, adding that they have a "chokehold" on audiences. The "Kill Bill" writer also made it clear he didn't want to be involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or DC Extended Universe.
"You have to be a hired hand to do those things. I'm not a hired hand," he said. I'm not looking for a job."
This isn't the first time Tarantino has spoken out against blockbuster movies. In 2020, he told Deadline that he was fighting "a war for movies" against franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and the James Bond films. He added that "cinema that doesn't fall into that blockbuster IP proof status" was the only reason hero flicks didn't take over theaters.
"It would have been the year that their world domination would have been complete. But it kind of wasn't. A lot of original movie content came out and demanded to be seen, and demanded to be seen at the theaters," he said.
Still, the prolific movie maker told the LA Times he enjoyed "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" when it came out in 1977. He was just 14 when he first saw the movie in theaters, remembering that he "felt like a million dollars" when it was over, even though it wasn't his favorite type of film.
"Of course, I liked 'Star Wars.' What's not to like? But I remember — and this is not a 'but' in a negative way, but in a good way. The movie completely carried me along and I was just rocking and rolling with these characters ... When the lights came on, I felt like a million dollars," he said. "And I looked around and had this moment of recognition, thinking, 'Wow! What a time at the movies!'"