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Quentin Tarantino has finished writing the script for his 10th feature film, but he will decide its future only after his stage play “The Popinjay Cavalier” completes its run in London.
Tarantino, the director of “Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood,” has said for years that he will retire after his 10th film. His latest remarks indicate the project will not move forward immediately.
Tarantino confirmed the script is complete but said he cannot make further progress on it until the play finishes its West End run. The West End is London’s central theatre district.
“I wrote a script I really like, but I want to do the play and see who I am,” Tarantino said. “Then I will go back, spend time with my family, live a little and see what I want to do.”
“The Popinjay Cavalier” stars Sacha Baron Cohen. After previews end in February, the play will open in March at the Phoenix Theatre in London.
Tarantino made his directorial debut in 1992 with “Reservoir Dogs.” “Pulp Fiction” followed in 1994 and won him his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. His most recent feature as director is “Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood,” released in 2019.
Tarantino outlined his retirement plan in 2014 at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, California. He said he intended to stop after 10 films, counting the two “Kill Bill” films as one, and described directing as “a young man’s game.” He added that he planned to spend the rest of his career writing plays and books.
“The Popinjay Cavalier” is his first stage play. Tarantino wrote and directed it. The comedy is set in 1830s Europe and centers on deception and disguise, drawing on classic Hollywood's swashbuckling epics. It marks Baron Cohen’s West End debut.
Announcing his casting, Baron Cohen said, “When the best director in the world calls, you don’t ask questions.” Producers describe the show as a “rambunctious comedy of deception and disguise.”
Previews begin Feb. 23, with opening night on March 18. The Phoenix Theatre, on Charing Cross Road in central London, has the production booked until June 13. Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sonia Friedman Productions present the play.
Tarantino said on the “Church of Tarantino” podcast in 2025 that the play was “all written.”
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