This 89% RT Quentin Tarantino movie was almost a miniseries for the strangest reason

Quentin Tarantino He’s done a bit of everything in his career as a director, producer and writer, but he’s best known for his film work, and one of his most acclaimed works almost became a TV miniseries for the strangest reason. Quentin Tarantino’s films stand out for their intense use of blood and violence, but also for his undeniable talent as a screenwriter, with much praise directed at the way he writes the dialogue. Throughout his career, Tarantino explored different genres, even telling alternative versions of historical events.

Falling into this category is Inglourious Basterdsin which Tarantino explores an alternative version of World War II and the fate of Adolf Hitler. Inglourious Basterds follows two stories with the same objective: kill as many Nazis as possibleincluding Hitler. Inglourious Basterds It was a critical and commercial success, winning several awards and becoming one of Tarantino’s best works. However, Inglourious Basterds It could have been very different, as it almost became a TV miniseries for a strange reason, but it suits Tarantino very well.

Tarantino almost made Inglourious Basterds as a miniseries because he couldn’t stop writing

Tarantino got a little too inspired while working on Inglourious Basterds

Quentin Tarantino spent more than a decade working on the screenplay for Inglourious Basterdswhich he was sure would be his masterpiece. Inglourious Basterds It became a bigger film than he expected, and by 2002 he had three nearly completed scripts, which he said were some of the best writing he had ever done, but was struggling to write an ending (via USA today). Tarantino then began working on both Kill Bill films, after which he returned to Inglourious Basterds and considered making it a TV miniseries.

Talking to fellow filmmaker and Grinder partner Robert Rodriguez in 2021 as part of the latest Director’s Chair series, Tarantino explained why he almost made Inglourious Basterds like a TV miniseries. Tarantino said people believed he was experiencing writer’s block, but it was actually the opposite, and he couldn’t stop writing. Tarantino shared that he had a 100-page script and “no end in sight”, and no matter how much he tried to tame him, he couldn’t. Why Inglourious Basterds It got so big that Tarantino thought the best format for it would be a miniseries.

Tarantino also revealed that he shared his idea for the Inglourious Basterds miniseries with fellow filmmaker Luc Besson, who wasn’t too happy about it. After Besson told Tarantino that he was one of the few filmmakers who made him want to leave home, Tarantino reconsidered his idea and opted to make Inglourious Basterds as a feature film.

Inglourious Basterds as a miniseries would have been good, but a movie is better

Inglourious Basterds are perfectly shaped

Given the different stories and many colorful characters in Inglourious BasterdsIt would have worked as a miniseries, but it’s still better as a movie. There is much about Shosanna’s (Mélanie Laurent) story after her escape and before meeting Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl) that was not revealed in Inglourious Basterdsplus a lot of history about Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and the Bastards. With that in mind, a miniseries would have allowed Inglourious Basterds to cover more of the plans and history of each group.

However, when looking Inglourious Basterdsit’s also difficult to imagine it as anything other than a feature film. The rhythm of Inglourious Basterds It’s perfect, and watching Shoshanna and the Bastards’ plans unfold in parallel works much better than if they had been developed in episodes. Even though Quentin Tarantino struggled to find an ending, Inglourious Basterds It ultimately had one of the most memorable and satisfying endings, and that might not have happened if it had been made as a miniseries.

Sources: USA today, Director’s Chair.