Sumith Prasad
Earlier today, reports emerged that ‘Richard Jewell’ and ‘Black Bird’ fame Paul Walter Hauser has been cast to play the lead role in Quentin Tarantino’s tenth and final film ‘The Movie Critic,’ putting an end to the wait of cinephiles and ardent admirers of the influential filmmaker. However, it turns out that the story is just speculation. Cinemaholic reached out to the actor’s reps and has learned that Hauser is not in talks to join the much-awaited film.
Rumors regarding the headlining actor of the movie began flooding the internet ever since the project was announced. When asked about the same during this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Tarantino revealed that he is expecting to cast a “new leading man” who is around 35 years old. Since Hauser is 36, it isn’t a surprise that rumors were spreading like wildfire concerning the actor’s supposed selection to play the “Movie Critic.” It will not be a surprise if the talented Hauser does get cast in the film in the future but as of now, the lead star of the movie remains unconfirmed.
Hauser earned immense recognition for playing Shawn Eckhardt in the 2017 biographical film ‘I, Tonya,’ which was followed by his performance as Ivanhoe in Spike Lee’s ‘BlacKkKlansman.’ He became Clint Eastwood’s leading man by playing the titular character in ‘Richard Jewell,’ a performance which earned him the National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. Hauser won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Larry Hall in Apple TV+’s crime series ‘Black Bird.’ His popular credits include ‘Da 5 Bloods,’ ‘Cruella,’ ‘Americana,’ ‘Kingdom,’ and ‘Cobra Kai.’
Set in 1977 California, ‘The Movie Critic’ revolves around a critic who writes movie reviews for a porno rag called The Popstar Pages. Tarantino described the protagonist of the film as “a guy who really lived but was never really famous, and he used to write movie reviews for a porno rag,” according to Deadline. “He wrote about mainstream movies and he was the second-string critic. I think he was a very good critic. He was as cynical as hell. His reviews were a cross between early Howard Stern and what Travis Bickle [Robert De Niro’s character in ‘Taxi Driver’] might be if he were a film critic,” the director added.
Even though the lead actor of the film is yet to be finalized, Samuel L. Jackson will reportedly feature in the same in a prominent role. The actor has previously worked with Tarantino six times, making the former the filmmaker’s most collaborated actor. Jackson features in ‘Pulp Fiction,’ ‘Jackie Brown,’ ‘Kill Bill: Volume 2,’ ‘Django Unchained,’ and ‘The Hateful Eight’ and narrates ‘Inglourious Basterds.’ If both ‘Kill Bill’ films are considered as a single movie, ‘Reservoir Dogs,’ ‘Death Proof,’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ are the only Tarantino films Jackson wasn’t involved in any capacity.
Read More: Best Quentin Tarantino Characters
