Kill Bill Split Into Two Films
Confirmed Source: New York Times, Bigred303 Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Word first reached us back in February about this, then earlier this week it resurfaced, and now it's been confirmed - director Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill will be split into two films, with the first part to be released on October 10. The New York Times reports on the confirmation from Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein.
Miramax Films will take the unusual and potentially risky move of releasing "Kill Bill," the much-anticipated Quentin Tarantino martial arts action-adventure film, as two movies, the first to open in the fall. Miramax will in effect be taking a three-hour film with a 200-page script and turning it into a serial.
Harvey Weinstein, a co-founder of Miramax, which is financing the film, said in an interview on Monday that the first installment would be in theaters on Oct. 10. The second release date is in still being negotiated, but it could be two to six months later, he said.
:yabbse-thumbdown:
:yabbse-thumbup: :yabbse-thumbup:
Fine by me, but I do wish we could sit through the whole thing in one sitting right off the bat. Oh well, I'm sure it's for the better.
i think this is a very daring move. but i am going to be upset if we have to wait more like 6 months instead of 2. because at that point, isnt it more like a "sequel", and less like the other installment? (like back to the future 3 and matrix 3?) they should release them a few weeks apart. because otherwise, in 6 months, you wont remember where the fuck you were at in the story when you sit down for part two. you will, emotionally be totally out of it. the only way would be to release them both simultaneously or a few weeks apart so you can see them back to back. otherwise, this is going to be upsetting. i hope they will be considering this, although at this point, i'm sure they are more concerned about getting paid for the tickets twice to help recoup the budget and less about what anal fanboys think about it.
on another thought, will this mean 2 dvds seperately priced/packaged? or will it be a 2 or 3 disc set you can only buy together?
but it's only three hours, that's still a reasonable screentime to sit through. It's not like now that it's split in two films, I'll only pay $4 for each film, I still pay the same money, now I just have to pay it twice on separate occasions. there have been samurai films and martial arts films going for nearly three hours. those miramax boys just don't respect martial arts films. they probably couldn't get tarantino to back down by cutting out half an hour of film the way they did with Zhang Yimou for Hero. ahhh miramax.
If they release them weeks apart do you think that will result in lower first week Box Office receipts b/c people will decide to wait a few weeks and see both films with days of eachother.
good points with the loss of tension.. i got no problem with 6 months of waiting tho. unless u've read the script, then it'll build anticipation and make the conclusion more satisfying, u know like real revenge should feel.
if 2 parts is the only way they will release the complete film then that's how it has to be. there'll be double screenings for sure, i mean, they do that shit already with Matrix and Reloaded. at least here they did.
I'm just wondering if this script is tight enough to break into two parts. It would be really shitty if the first half sucked...luring an audience to go see the second half of a shitty movie just seems very exploitative.
And I know what you're going to say: "Then don't go see the second half.."
I'd still have to though. I hate leaving a story unfinished.
All it is is marketing. Of course they're going to break it up in two parts. That's double the revenue return. Even if the movie is marginal (which I don't think it will be) people will see the second half to finish the movie.
This thing isn't Shaka Zulu or anything. Bad form, Miramax.
Here here.
boo
If I retain my ticket stub, can I just come back to the same seat where I was for part one?
Could this be the beginning of a bad trend? I don't mind this terrible deal if Tarantino is behind it... but I could see this getting way out of control if this thing is a success, which it very well may be.
If studios realize they can charge you twice for one movie, the sky is the limit.
Quote from: markums2k
If studios realize they can charge you twice for one movie, the sky is the limit.
They have done that before.
Tommy Boy / Black Sheep is a perfect example
Quote from: SHAFTRQuote from: markums2k
If studios realize they can charge you twice for one movie, the sky is the limit.
They have done that before.
Tommy Boy / Black Sheep is a perfect example
:lol:
dont know how to feel about this
I do. :evil:
Quote from: SHAFTRQuote from: markums2k
If studios realize they can charge you twice for one movie, the sky is the limit.
They have done that before.
Tommy Boy / Black Sheep is a perfect example
Oh, good show young chap. Good show.
Good News From Aint IT Cool...
It's Official... Tarantino's KILL BILL will be two flicks....
Miramax made it offical today breaking the news to the New York Times... KILL BILL will be two (2) action/adventure Motion Pictures, not a single one of epic length... We here at Geek Headquarters knew this as fact 3 weeks ago from several phone calls we recieved from insiders with that company and Tarantino's production company. Harry wanted to hold off on the announcement until we could include the actual release dates of BOTH flicks, buuuuuut since the Times has made it offical and no longer just fan rumor, I'll post up their story.
However, the word given to us 3 weeks ago in those phone conversations is that the second film (basicly all ready to go) would more than likely follow very, very closely the release of the first flick... six (6), or maybe even just five (5) weeks later. This is something Quentin wants very bad (a speedy second release)... soooo there will be NO 3 year wait, or a one year wait, or even a 6 month wait...
Now on to Laura Holson's NY TIMES story...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Tarantino Film to Be Released in 2 Parts
By LAURA M. HOLSON New York Times... July 16, 2003
LOS ANGELES, July 15 - Miramax Films will take the unusual and potentially risky move of releasing "Kill Bill," the much-anticipated Quentin Tarantino martial arts action-adventure film, as two movies, the first to open in the fall.
Miramax will in effect be taking a three-hour film with a 200-page script and turning it into a serial. Harvey Weinstein, a co-founder of Miramax, which is financing the film, said in an interview on Monday that the first installment would be in theaters on Oct. 10. The second release date is in still being negotiated, but it could be two to six months later, he said. To many in Hollywood, the decision will come as a surprise. Mr. Weinstein, who in Hollywood is known as "Harvey Scissorhands," after the title character in the movie "Edward Scissorhands," has a reputation for forcing directors to cut both costs and the lengths of their movies. Mr. Tarantino spent 155 days shooting the film, well more than planned and longer than usual for most films. But Mr. Weinstein said Mr. Tarantino was something of a special case. The popularity of his violent yet original 1994 film, "Pulp Fiction," helped put Miramax on the map and generated an abundance of cash to help the studio bankroll other movies. "Miramax is the house Quentin Tarantino built," Mr. Weinstein said. And because of this director's stature he was granted "carte blanche," Mr. Weinstein added. "Kill Bill'` is Mr. Tarantino's first foray into action filmmaking. His limited body of work also includes the equally violent yet critically praised "Reservoir Dogs."
When Mr. Tarantino first approached Mr. Weinstein about doing "Kill Bill" several years ago, it was with the condition that he be allowed to film the whole 200-page script that he had written. When Mr. Weinstein visited the set in its last month of shooting late last year, Mr. Tarantino said in a statement, Mr. Weinstein brought up the idea of splitting it in two. No decision was made at the time although Mr. Tarantino shot two opening-credit sequences, he said. Mr. Weinstein said it was not until he visited Los Angeles three weeks ago, when Mr. Tarantino showed him more than an hour and a half of the film, that the two decided on the two-film approach.
"Kill Bill" is the story, told in chapters, of the world's deadliest female assassin, who survives being shot on her wedding day and, after five years in a coma, seeks revenge on the man who tried to kill her. The film's samurai-style fight sequences were filmed largely in China and take place in everything from a nightclub to a snow-covered garden to a suburban home. "There were no obstacles involved in splitting up `Kill Bill' at all because I've always designed the movie, thought about the film, as malleable in any number of versions," Mr. Tarantino said in his statement. That includes different versions for Asia, America and Europe. The serial approach to "Kill Bill" has parallels to the making of the second and third installments of the "Matrix" series and "The Lord of The Rings" trilogy, which were filmed as one story but divided into parts and have been released on a staggered schedule. But those films were conceived as multipart releases; "Kill Bill" was not.
Despite the success of the "Matrix" and the "Lord of the Ring" franchises, Miramax's decision carries risks, given the box-office figures for a number of sequels, prequels and serials. Several have been disappointments this summer, including "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," which received heavy publicity and generally favorable reviews as an enjoyable romp but which still failed to attract crowds. The serial films that have done well at the box office, like the "Matrix" series, have had built-in audiences already interested in the story. "Kill Bill," on the other hand, is from Mr. Tarantino's original screenplay. Mitigating some of the risk is the movie's price tag, which Mr. Weinstein estimated at more than $55 million, not including marketing costs: less than what many blockbusters cost because many of the actors worked for union-scale wages and because production costs in China are lower than in the United States.
What Miramax and Mr. Tarantino are betting on is that the director's avid fan base and the pent-up interest in "Kill Bill" - which has taken almost a decade to make and is Mr. Tarantino's fifth movie - will pack theaters not once, but twice. Still Mr. Weinstein said he was worried about overselling this film, calling it "just a fun B-movie." The question is: Fun for whom? "Kill Bill," not unlike other films that Mr. Tarantino has made, is intensely violent. That will limit the people who can see it, particularly the younger action-film audience that studios covet. In one spectacular fight in the "House of Blue Leaves" nightclub, nearly 100 people are killed, according to one person who worked on the set in China. Much has been made of the notion that Mr. Tarantino wanted the blood to be a particularly vibrant red. "Tarantino is something of an innovator who takes audiences into different realms," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, a Los Angeles company that analyzes box-office returns. Miramax has yet to work out the actors' salaries for the two movies, Mr. Weinstein said.
The studio is renegotiating contracts, including one for Uma Thurman, who stars as the bride who is shot, and another for Lucy Liu, who plays a member of Bill's hit squad. Two Hollywood executives familiar with the contracts said the two actresses would receive a percentage of the box-office revenue. Because the contracts were originally based on only one movie, they will have to be changed to reflect the two-part scheme, the executives said. Stars' salary demands can often derail a movie, but Mr. Weinstein expressed confidence that a new agreement would be reached since the actors will not have to shoot new scenes.
The New York Times Company
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lets hope that quentins 5 or 6 weeks plan is allowed to go forward...
This is ridiculous. Crop 10-minutes and release the fucking thing. My anticipation went from a 10 to a...uh...negative 3.
Talk about ripping off the audience. Not only do we have to pay double, but we'll have to wait at least until Spring 04' to see the second installment. My hatred for Harvey Weinstein, the fucking ape, has never been this great. :x (constipated face)
I think this is hella cool.
Don't cut anything. I've always wanted to do movies as serials. Kick ass!
:shock:
I respect you. So I'll just leave that one alone.
Well... how come people are pissed? Is it that you have to pay more than once, or that it will be a wait to find out the ending?
I mean, I look at it this way: I would rather see the whole thing. So if it comes down to cutting it, or splitting it in two, I'll take splitting it.
Plus it gives me one more movie to look forward to, in an age where I only look forward to 2 new films a year.
I said in an earlier post that I think it's very exploitative to do something like this. I mean, it's not like we're watching Gettysburg or something. I sat through Magnolia, through Boogie Nights, Pulp Ficiton, all rather long movies (as I'm sure you know), so I really would like to see the entire film from start to finish on one ticket.
But that's just me.
On the flip side, the cliffhanger effect will be kinda exciting. I'll admit that. :wink:
Quote from: SoNowThenWell... how come people are pissed? Is it that you have to pay more than once, or that it will be a wait to find out the ending?
I mean, I look at it this way: I would rather see the whole thing. So if it comes down to cutting it, or splitting it in two, I'll take splitting it.
Plus it gives me one more movie to look forward to, in an age where I only look forward to 2 new films a year.
As long as they stick it on one DVD, I'll be fine with it. Serial DVDs are not nearly as 'innovative'.
Yeah, I'll give you that.
They probably will, though.
KB I is released october 10th, so if they release the KB II as they say in five or six weeks, it will be competing against Master and Comander on november 15 just ten days after Revolutions and on november 22 would be against The Cat in the Hat and Barbershop 2, I say if they really want to do that surely will be on the 22nd.
Quote from: SHAFTRQuote from: markums2k
If studios realize they can charge you twice for one movie, the sky is the limit.
They have done that before.
Tommy Boy / Black Sheep is a perfect example
most people dont know this but, both those films were ghost co written by wim wender and john meloncamp in colaberation
mixed feelings about it, but i luv a good cliffhanger, so hopefully we'll get one at the end of part 1, matrix style.
i just hope its good.
Quote from: ©bradi just hope its good.
All I care about too. It seems just to be a play to get as much as in as possible, of course. It'll be one film on dvd release. I don't care about seeing the whole on different occasions, but I just hope the first part doesn't feel too much of an introduction onto what will finally be great in the second part. I hope some good stuff happens during that.
~rougerum
After the rather surprising announcement that there will be 2 Kill Bill movies (the first to be shown October 10th), more facts and rumors are coming to light.
- Kill Bill Volume 1 and Volume 2 will most likely be the titles.
- Both movies will be longer than 2 hours, making the final product over 5 hours long
- There will be different version for different countries. In fact, 4 different versions of Kill Bill are being prepared for separate release. These special versions for Asia, for example, will feature more graphic sword fights, etc...
An excerpt from the ScreenDaily article:
"We are blazing a new trail here," affirmed Miramax Films chief operating officer Rick Sands, who says the final decision to split the story at its natural break-point halfway through was made by Tarantino and Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein after a Los Angeles screening of the footage assembly three weeks ago.
While Sands says that the initial October 10th date has been locked in, together with an international schedule that should see the film released in 85%-90% of the world's markets within three to four weeks, although the domestic opening date for Volume 2 has not been finalised. "They will be fairly close together. Not five or six months apart but sooner than that. Maybe as soon as eight weeks depending on what else is being released."
In territories where Miramax will not be releasing the films themselves, distributors such as Japan's Gaga, The Netherlands RCV, Hong Kong's Golden Harvest, Spain's Lauren, Scandinavia's Nordisk and Canada's Alliance Atlantis have been suddenly faced with stumping up for two Tarantino films, and finding room in their release schedules to accommodate a second, substantial local marketing campaign.
Not that any were heard grumbling about the additional commitment or the essentially all-or-nothing proposition. Chung Tae Won, president of Korean distributor Taewon said he was more than happy to double up: having two Tarantino films at reasonable lengths is better than one at three hours.
Moreover, as Sands himself puts it, distributors, like Miramax, will all being enjoying "several more bites of the apple" when it comes to ancillary markets. Both volumes of Kill Bill will warrant their own DVD release, to be followed up by a special double-pack sometime thereafter. And the number of opportunities to make a bigger killing in both free and pay-television has increased exponentially."
Interesting. If that's the case, lets hope each volume can stand on its own given this was originally thought out to be one picture only.
~rougerum
let's all just hope for the worst and hire a dominatrix to spank us daily.
I hope this shit bombs. I've read the screenplay, and even though I guess it's a rough copy, I can't imagine this story and the one-dimensional characters holding up for over 5 hours combined. If this move is successful this will most likely start a copycat trend of studios urging directors to not cut any of the fat off their already bloated films and release films in the theaters like a tv miniseries. That sucks. Of course I may be wrong and Tarantino may have added further depth to the characters since the version of the script I read instead of relying on "coolness" as the basis of entertainment. Hmmm....not likely.
hmm i think this could be a cool idea... but only if it has a purpose. If I get to see 5 hours in two sittings I'll be much happier than seeing 3 hours or less in one sitting... but if I see two 1 and a half hour peices, that'll be pretty annoying... this is all dependent on how good the movie is, however, but the trailer looked fantastic. The marketing's gotta be pretty good for this to work, too... if they approach this from just the right angle it'll end up being great.
Quote from: MacGuffinBoth volumes of Kill Bill will warrant their own DVD release, to be followed up by a special double-pack sometime thereafter.
*(pukes.)
It's official. Tarantino has sold out. For a brief time, Tarantino and PTA were my two favorite filmmakers. This was a while back earlier in the year, granted. But right now, I'm seeing that the two couldn't be more opposite, when it comes to making films versus making money.
What happened? This is pretty tragic.
I really wouldn't mind a 6-hour Tarantino film.
I wanted 1 movie, but fuck it what can you do?
i realized that its best to just go with the flow with this sort of thing
at this point, i dont care anymore......i just wanna see the fuckin thing.........but that DVD shit is EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just wanted to say that Irreversible is not OVERRATED. It's a masterpiece and Hollywood, with its razzle-dazzle, shite formulas, wouldn't have the balls to tell the truth the way Irreversible. People are just afraid of the truth. Yes, time destroys all things. Move on.. What a film. It's a fucking masterpiece.
And, in relation, to this thread--it's a damn wise choise by Miramax and I think it's artistically interesting and a challenge to QT.... and when has Tarantino let you down before on a movie that he wrote and directed?? Never. FAITH IN TARANTINO!!!
in tarantino we trust
Quote from: finlayrI just wanted to say that Irreversible is not OVERRATED. It's a masterpiece and Hollywood, with its razzle-dazzle, shite formulas, wouldn't have the balls to tell the truth the way Irreversible. People are just afraid of the truth. Yes, time destroys all things. Move on.. What a film. It's a fucking masterpiece.
maybe they should have had the balls to make a good movie.
"good movie" is anyones opinion
Quote from: finlayrI just wanted to say that Irreversible is not OVERRATED. It's a masterpiece and Hollywood, with its razzle-dazzle, shite formulas, wouldn't have the balls to tell the truth the way Irreversible. People are just afraid of the truth. Yes, time destroys all things. Move on.. What a film. It's a fucking masterpiece.
I will eventually see this movie, but I've never seen opinions more lopsided. Negative feels to be winning out by 80% and it looks like I am going into the viewing with an established bias. Doesn't matter though, because with Matrix: Reloaded and Lord of the Rings: Fellowship, I was convinced I was going to see great films.
~rougerum
If this wasn't Tarantino, I'd be bitching. Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown were both long films but they didn't include anything that was unnecessary, and I think Quentin really is substance over money; so I don't think he is doing this for straight profit...we'll see though.
The dvd thing chaps my ass.
well, its not JUST that there will be two seperate dvds for ONE FILM essentially that bothers me as much as the fact that they are telling us MONTHS BEFORE THE FILM IS EVEN RELEASED IN THEATRES that YES, they are going to be screwing us royally with multiple dvd releases! how dare they. the fucking balls. its like, they arent getting enough money by now EVERY PERSON having to pay twice for this in theatres, they now, are going to be releasing multiple dvd versions. thanks a lot miramax!
also, i want graphic sword fights! fuck that as well.
It's the different versions thing that really bothers me. Can't he just make one movie? How is that not selling out? This is a sad day.
I might have liked the splitting thing if it was Tarantino's decision (they decided it based on a test screening? come ON)...
It wasn't a test screening, it was a screening of the assembly edit, which means it was probably just the director/producers/editor there, watching the film at its most basic chronological stage. I'm pretty sure Tarantino had a lot to do with the decision...I'm sure he wants to keep the majority of his original vision intact, and if splitting the thing into two is the way to do it, well I know I'd probably go for that.
But yeah, that DVD thing is awful. I'll just wait for the extended edition, just like I do with the LOTR movies.
Quote from: Jeremy BlackmanIt's the different versions thing that really bothers me. Can't he just make one movie? How is that not selling out? This is a sad day.
agreed. different version shit for different countries makes no sense to me. might as well make PG versions w/o sex or violence for little kids, and versions w/o the word 'god damn' in them for bible folk.
ALL HAIL TARANTINO!!!
WORSHIP GASPAR NOE!!!!
tarantino maybe, but gaspar NOEbody, eff that.
This is kind of sad, especially on the dvd front. I'm still excited to see it though, as I've never seen a Tarantino film in the cinema.
To P: Gaspar Noe makes better movies that anyone* in Hollywood, all working together, searching for some shred of truth, but they have no balls to break free of the studio system and make their OWN films. Personal ones.
*anyone excpet, Tarantino, PTA, Scorsese, Lynch, Coens...etc...
San Diego Comic Con: Tarantino touched upon the issue of splitting up "Kill Bill" into two volumes and the good news is for fans, he expects the release of Volume Two to be within three months (at max) of the first film. The reason for the split came from Harvey Weinstein it seems who didn't want to cut anything out and suggested the idea to Tarantino. Soon after he screened the first film and some of the second to Harvey who pretty much pushed the split movie idea and QT liked it so it became a lock.
Quote from: redlumThis is kind of sad, especially on the dvd front. I'm still excited to see it though, as I've never seen a Tarantino film in the cinema.
I saw a late late
Jackie Brown with my girlfriend... now my wife. Tarantino: the stuff memories are made of.
I still think this is the beginning of something bad, though. First PTA succumbs to Superbit, and now this. :cry:
Repent... the end is extremely fucking nigh.
...I don't see anything wrong with PTA putting PDL on Superbit. Care to explain?
Yeah, I know, but it was markums who mentioned it. Besides, since when have threads at Xixax been known for staying on topic? ;)
Quote from: redlumThis is kind of sad, especially on the dvd front. I'm still excited to see it though, as I've never seen a Tarantino film in the cinema.
yeah i saw jackie brown when it opened on christmas day in 97 (along with the hideous american werewolf in paris).
Quote from: Onomatopoeia...I don't see anything wrong with PTA putting PDL on Superbit. Care to explain?
The movie and bonus material could have EASILY fit onto one DVD. So does PTA just want the
illusion of a 2 disc set, or is he going to be interested in delivering some actual meat on those bones next time?
Superbit is the new equivalent of listing 'wide-screen' or 'stereo audio' under the bonus features heading.
Sorry to drive the thread OT. That's my explaination. Nothing inherently bad with PTA 'choosing' Superbit, but if he thinks an overblown bitrate makes for a good transfer, he's mistaken.
Not that I'm attacking the transfer... :-D
Anyways, back to your regularly scheduled program...
cough-cough. Irreversible is a masterpiece, worthy of the Mantle of Greatest of All Time stature...etc...
(I had to slip this in again).
Quote from: Plet's all just hope for the worst and hire a dominatrix to spank us daily.
::lifts eyebrow in suspiouse fashion:: say didnt you and your brother write the matrix ????
when it all comes down to it, it's still a martial arts film, starring with Uma Thurman in the lead and David Carradine as the villain. and I know this will be true: THEIR KUNGFU WILL SUCK.
there is no way whatever training uma's received will make her a more competent on screen fighter than any of the Matrix folks--and the matrix folks' kungfu sucked.
Quote from: finlayrcough-cough. Irreversible is a masterpiece, worthy of the Mantle of Greatest of All Time stature...etc...
(I had to slip this in again).
SHH! This is a tarantino thread...quiet....
um...oh!
cough-cough. Jackie Brown is a masterpiece, worthy of the Mantle of Greatest of All Time stature...etc....