Will ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’ Happen? Quentin Tarantino Drops More Hints At Sequel

With The Hateful Eight currently showing in theaters all around the globe, a film that marks Quentin Tarantino’s eighth feature as a director, fans can’t help but expect the familiar question to arise, one that has teetered on the brink of cinema since 2004 and emerges following every successful Tarantino cinematic release: Will Kill Bill Vol. 3 happen? The question is a regular for the director, one he has managed to skip and avoid successfully for over ten years. However, on this occasion, Tarantino himself has jumped the gun and provided some tasty morsels for fans expecting the same old answer — and this time, he didn’t say no.

When speaking to Variety to promote The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino couldn’t resist mentioning the much-anticipated sequel to what many consider his most visionary film. The sequel has been rumored to be happening for over a decade, and the director has consistently avoided confirming any such movie, for various reasons. In 2012, Tarantino was quoted as saying the following in an interview with the Playlist.

“I don’t know if there’s ever going to be a ‘Kill Bill. Vol 3.’ We’ll see, probably not though.”

That answer seemed pretty final, or so it may seem. When speaking to Variety, the stance on a sequel might have shifted somewhat, when he revealed he has been discussing the movie with Uma Thurman aka The Bride.

“I’ve been very non-committal about it, and I’m not committing to it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if The Bride made one more appearance before the whole thing is said and done. I’ve been talking to Uma about it just a little bit. Some of the stuff that I’ve written and never made it into the movie that maybe I could use and thinking, ‘OK, now, thirteen years later, what would be going on with Sofie Fatale, what would be going on with Elle Driver?'”

Kill Bill Vol. 3 has been a legendary concept for many years now. One of the original ideas for a sequel featured Nikki Bell, the daughter of Vernita Green (The Bride’s first victim in the original movie) seeking revenge on our yellow-clad, sword-welding vigilante. This would tie in to The Bride’s famous words to the young girl, “When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I’ll be waiting.” A direct challenge, and a taunt, this would tie the films together nicely. At one point, speculation even hinted that the actress who played Nikki Bell — Ambrosia Kelley, who was eight at the time — would play an adult version of Nikki, which nearly explained why Tarantino wanted to wait ten years to produce a sequel. Alas, this was never proven — yet — as the film remains legend and nothing more.

With Tarantino discussing the film with Uma Thurman, maybe she is considering another outing as The Bride. If so, this could change the original concept. Maybe The Bride will take precedence over Nikki Bell, who knows? Maybe Bell will gather together her own Deadly Viper Squad to avenge her mother. Either way, the film would work. There is still a dedicated fan-base for the franchise, and people still love the film now, even thirteen years after its release.

Also, let’s not forget that Tarantino rarely considers making a new movie with pre-existing material. Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 were released separately but stand officially as one epic feature, so he is yet to provide a definite sequel to any of his movies. The nearest he came to this was discussing a potential follow-up to Inglorious Basterds, an idea he has been contemplating for some time, according to Cinema Blend. The urge to see Tarantino return to his previous characters is always tantalizing to the devout film-goer, and even though it is yet to happen, the thought of another film emerging from any one of his diverse, visionary universes is staggering and exciting in equal measure.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 grossed $333.1 million across both releases on a $60 million budget, and the film was a critical success. Will we ever see a sequel? Only Quentin Tarantino can answer that. Until then, you can catch his latest feature, The Hateful Eight, in theaters now.

[Image via Miramax Films]