Al Pacino Collaborates with Quentin Tarantino For the First Time in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The cast of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has become a Who’s Who of Hollywood. Al Pacino will join the impressive ensemble of Quentin Tarantino’s Manson Family inspired film. The news follows a yesterday’s announcement of a flood of talent who had signed onto the project.
Previous Tarantino collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt will lead the cast. DiCaprio will play aging western star Rick Dalton with Pitt as Dalton’s stunt double, Cliff Booth. Dalton and Booth are fictional characters set in a famous era of Hollywood history, the Manson murders. Pacino joins the cast as Marvin Shwarz, Dalton’s agent. The Godfather legend has yet to work with Tarantino, bringing fresh blood into the mix.
Margot Robbie, Burt Reynolds, Timothy Olyphant, Michael Madsen, and Tim Roth were previously announced among the cast. Robbie is set to play real life Manson victim, Sharon Tate, and neighbor to the fictional Dalton. Yesterday, Dakota Fanning, Damian Lewis, Emile Hirsch, Clifton Collins Jr., Luke Perry, Keith Jefferson and Nicholas Hammond were added. Fanning will play Squeaky Fromme, a fervent Manson follower. Lewis will portray action legend Steve McQueen. Hirsch will play Jay Sebring, another real-life character murdered by the Manson Family. Tarantino is reportedly still looking to cast an actor as Manson.
According to Manson Family prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi’s book, Helter Skelter, the senseless murders sparked a panic in Hollywood in 1969. Panic about cults and random murders spread throughout the Los Angeles valley, gripping the community. It was a unique and terrifying time that could make a fascinating ambience for Tarantino’s film. The master storyteller uniquely weaves history and fiction through his stories to create arresting films, making the Manson Family killing spree an interesting setting for the script.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is scheduled for an August 2019 release on the 50th anniversary of the LaBianca and Tate murders.
Featured Image: Actor Al Pacino speaks onstage during American Film Institute’s 45th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to Diane Keaton at Dolby Theatre on June 8, 2017 in Hollywood, California. 26658_007 (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
