Netflix has finally given a name to Brad Pitt’s long-gestating return to the world of 1969 Hollywood, confirming that the project will simply be called Cliff Booth. The streaming giant made the announcement official on Wednesday, setting the film for a Thanksgiving release on November 25, 2026, with David Fincher directing Pitt in the title role.
The title comes as little surprise to those who have followed the project’s development, as it directly references the character Pitt played in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood. But the new film is not a direct sequel in the traditional sense. Eight years after the events of the Oscar-winning 2019 picture, Booth returns to a Los Angeles that has shifted under his feet. He now works as a fixer in the shadows of the studio system, a job that places him in the middle of a web of secrets, crimes, and betrayals that forces him to reconsider his own loyalties and survival instincts.
The logline, as provided by Netflix, paints a picture of a man who has traded stunt work for something murkier. Booth, once a war hero and stunt double, now navigates a city that has moved past the era he knew. The tone, according to the studio, blends drama, comedy, and thriller elements - a mix that feels fitting for both Fincher’s precise, dark sensibilities and Pitt’s ability to underplay menace with a wry grin.
Fincher, who previously directed Pitt in Se7en, Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, is reuniting with his actor for the first time since 2008’s Benjamin Button. That alone would generate significant buzz, but the casting choices add another layer of intrigue. Scott Caan will play James Caan, a fictionalized version of the legendary actor, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II steps into the role of Jim Brown. Elizabeth Debicki plays a character named Roberta, with Carla Gugino, Holt McCallany, JB Tadena, and Corey Fogelmanis rounding out the ensemble in undisclosed roles.
The inclusion of real-life figures like Brown and Caan suggests a narrative that blurs fact and fiction, much like Tarantino’s original film did with Sharon Tate and Bruce Lee. But Fincher’s approach to this material is expected to be more clinical, less nostalgic. The project has been quietly developed for years, with Pitt reportedly championing the idea of revisiting Booth after Tarantino’s film ended with the character alive and well, having just learned to read. Tarantino himself is not involved in this spinoff, which Fincher and Pitt have shaped independently based on an original idea from the Fight Club director and his frequent collaborator, Andrew Kevin Walker.
Netflix has kept the runtime under wraps, and no official trailer has been released yet, but the film is already positioned as a major awards contender. The November release date puts it in the typical prestige corridor, and with Fincher’s track record - he earned Oscar nominations for The Social Network, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Mank - the studio clearly has high expectations.
For Pitt, Cliff Booth continues a period of reinvention. Since winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the same character in Tarantino’s film, he has appeared in projects like Bullet Train and Babylon, but he has also focused on producing through his Plan B banner. The chance to slip back into Booth’s worn leather jacket for a more serious, character-driven piece seems to have revived his enthusiasm for leading roles.
The film’s logline hints at a story that is as much about Los Angeles as it is about Booth. The city, once the backdrop for his easygoing exploits, has become a place of decay and hidden power struggles. The studio system, which once employed Booth as a stuntman, now relies on him for less savory tasks. That tension between the old Hollywood glamour and the new, more cynical business of filmmaking provides fertile ground for Fincher, who has often dissected power, secrecy, and moral compromise in his work.
No footage has been screened for critics yet, and the TMDb rating of zero reflects that no reviews have been published. But the early buzz from industry insiders suggests that Fincher and Pitt have found a tone that honors the original while carving out a distinct identity. The supporting cast, particularly Abdul-Mateen II as Jim Brown, is expected to provide a strong counterweight to Pitt’s grounded performance. Brown, a real-life NFL star turned actor, offers an interesting parallel to Booth - both men are physical specimens navigating a world that values them for their bodies, not their minds.
Netflix has not announced a theatrical rollout plan, but the company has increasingly played select films in theaters before streaming them. Given the star power and the director’s reputation, a limited theatrical release ahead of the November 25 debut would not be surprising. For now, fans of Pitt, Fincher, and the original Tarantino film can at least mark their calendars. Cliff Booth is coming, and it promises to be a different kind of trip down memory lane - one that may not have a happy ending waiting at the end of the road.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
