Charles Manson has been in the news this week for more than his declining health. Director Quentin Tarantino has been working on a Manson film for quite some time, and the rights to his ninth movie now belong to Sony Pictures.
Tarantino’s film, aptly named #9 for the time being, was originally being produced by the Weinstein Company. Tarantino has long been buddies with Harvey Weinstein but pulled the film from his friend’s company after the tremendous sexual misconduct scandal. The Weinstein Company had distributed a large chunk of Tarantino’s catalog, as the studio was behind Grindhouse , Inglourious Basterds , Django Unchained , and The Hateful Eight .
Deadline reports that multiple studios were vying for #9 , including Warner Bros., Universal, and 20th Century Fox. It seemed the only major studio not interested in the Charles Manson flick was Disney.
For weeks, there has been speculation over who will be cast as Manson and his most famous victim, Sharon Tate. Tarantino has reportedly met with Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio for the lead male roles. Margot Robbie has also been rumored to be portraying Tate after Jennifer Lawrence rumors were shut down last month.
It’s unknown if either the two male lead roles are for Manson’s character, as #9 is supposed to play similarly to Inglorious Basterds . The 2009 Tarantino flick was often referred to as a Nazi or Adolf Hitler film, despite Hitler only making an appearance in two scenes. This could be the same path for #9 , with a Manson character making minimal appearances.
Quentin Tarantino Film Lands at Sony https://t.co/DK8DzQDX7x
— Variety (@Variety) November 17, 2017
Pitt and DiCaprio have both starred in Tarantino pictures before, in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained respectively. If Cruise nabs a lead role, it will be his first time working with the eccentric director.
The news of Sony acquiring #9 comes off a bleak week for Manson himself. TMZ reported the mass murderer had been taken to a hospital as he was reportedly on the verge of death. An insider claimed “it’s just a matter of time” for Manson, and things were unlikely to get better. As of Thursday, Manson has been reported as still alive.
Quentin Tarantino’s #9 will be set in the late ’60s and early ’70s in Los Angeles. It is set to premiere sometime in 2019.
[Featured Image by Wally Fong/AP Images and Laurent Cipriani/AP Images]