What Happened to Quentin Tarantino’s Forgotten ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Spinoff?
The cancellation of ‘The Movie Critic’, which was originally slated to be Quentin Tarantino’s last film, is not an unusual instance. Throughout his career, Tarantino has often put off interesting ideas, such as an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s ‘Forty Lashes Less One’ and ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3’. One of these shelved ideas is ‘Killer Crow’, a planned ‘Inglourious Basterds’ offshoot. Along with ‘Django Unchained’ and ‘Inglourious Basterds’, the movie was intended to be a loose trilogy of “alternative history” films. It never made it past the writing stage, though.
‘Killer Crow’ would have followed a group of Black American troops during World War II who launched a campaign of retaliation against white officers and soldiers after experiencing mistreatment at the hands of the American military. This subplot, which was originally intended to be a part of ‘Inglourious Basterds’, was cut out when Tarantino streamlined his plan for a massive miniseries into a feature film. Tarantino eventually went on without completely developing the concept, even though he brought it up again in interviews.
Image Courtesy: Paramount Plus
According to rumours, Tarantino became disinterested in ‘Killer Crow’ and turned his attention to other films, such as ‘The Hateful Eight’. This is consistent with his preference for unique concepts over spinoffs or sequels. Although the film’s cancellation may have disappointed fans, Tarantino was able to produce ground-breaking films like ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ and ‘The Hateful Eight’ as a result.
Although ‘Killer Crow’ had the potential to build upon the ‘Inglourious Basterds’ universe, Tarantino’s dedication to uniqueness probably played a role in his decision to drop the project. Devoting one of his last career slots to a spinoff would not have been in line with the creative objectives of a filmmaker who appreciates new stories. In the end, his choice gave him the opportunity to venture into new creative realms.
–Farheen Ali
