Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time' Novel Expands Cliff Booth's Story for Upcoming Sequel

David Fincher's Netflix film 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth' will build on the stuntman's rich backstory.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 11:21am

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An abstract close-up image of shattered glass and cracked leather textures in high-contrast studio lighting, conveying a sense of gritty, pulp-inspired drama.The upcoming 'Adventures of Cliff Booth' sequel promises to delve deeper into the stuntman's dark and mysterious past.Los Angeles Today

Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' centered on the lives of faded actor Rick Dalton and his stuntman Cliff Booth. While the movie focused more on Dalton, Tarantino's 2021 novelization delved deeper into Booth's backstory, including his possible murder of his wife and his adventures as a World War II veteran and film critic. This expanded character development has now set the stage for a Cliff Booth sequel directed by David Fincher, titled 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth', which will continue the stuntman's story.

Why it matters

Cliff Booth was a breakout character in 'Once Upon a Time...', with Brad Pitt's Oscar-winning performance hinting at a deeper, more complex history. Tarantino's novel fleshed out that backstory, making Booth a more fully realized protagonist. Now, with Fincher at the helm, audiences will get to see more of Booth's adventures, building on the foundation laid in the original film and novel.

The details

In the 2021 novelization of 'Once Upon a Time...', Tarantino expanded Cliff Booth's role, giving him an internal monologue as a film critic who admires the work of Akira Kurosawa. The book also delved into Booth's past, including his escape from a POW camp during World War II and his killing of two Cleveland mobsters. This rich backstory has now set the stage for Fincher's upcoming sequel, 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth', which will continue the stuntman's story.

  • Quentin Tarantino published the 'Once Upon a Time...' novelization in 2021.
  • David Fincher's 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth' is set to release on Netflix in 2026.

The players

Quentin Tarantino

The writer and director of the 2019 film 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' and the author of the 2021 novelization that expanded the character of Cliff Booth.

David Fincher

The director of the upcoming Netflix sequel 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth', which will continue the story of the stuntman character from 'Once Upon a Time...'

Cliff Booth

The stuntman character played by Brad Pitt in 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood', whose backstory was further developed in Tarantino's novel and will be the focus of Fincher's upcoming sequel.

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What they’re saying

“Cliff Booth demanded a certain darkness to fit in with the melancholy tone of the movie. Maybe there are reasons why no set in town will hire Booth anymore, not the least of which is widespread suspicion that he killed his wife (Rebecca Gayheart) with a harpoon gun years before.”

— Adam Blevins, Author

“Giving Cliff an intelligent internal monologue about film was one way the book stepped out of the movie's shadow. It also gave readers a survey of the previous adventures of Cliff Booth, reading more like a collection of short stories about a pulp hero.”

— Adam Blevins, Author

What’s next

Fans will have to wait until 2026 to see what new adventures await Cliff Booth in David Fincher's Netflix sequel, 'The Adventures of Cliff Booth'.

The takeaway

Quentin Tarantino's decision to expand the backstory of Cliff Booth in his 'Once Upon a Time...' novelization has laid the groundwork for a rich continuation of the character's story in the upcoming Fincher-directed sequel. This demonstrates how literary adaptations can breathe new life into beloved film characters.