The Super Bowl wasn’t just about football on ; it was a launchpad for the first official teaser of The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a follow-up to Quentin Tarantino’s acclaimed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The minute-long preview, which aired during a commercial break in the first quarter of Super Bowl LX, promises a return to the meticulously crafted world of late 1960s/early 1970s Hollywood, this time centered on Brad Pitt’s enigmatic stuntman and all-around fixer.
Directed by David Fincher, and scripted by Tarantino, the film picks up with Cliff Booth after the events of the 2019 original. The teaser offers glimpses of Booth seemingly dealing with the aftermath of the violent confrontation with the Manson Family followers depicted in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, shown icing a leg injury – presumably from the stabbing – with frozen peas. Pitt reprises his Oscar-winning role, and the trailer immediately establishes a continuation of the character’s established cool, even amidst the consequences of his actions.
Fincher, known for his visually striking and often dark films like Se7en and Zodiac, appears to be maintaining the period detail that defined Tarantino’s original. The teaser is rich with visual cues, including advertisements for films like 1977’s Searching for Mr. Goodbar and Black Sunday displayed on the Paramount lot, and a shot of Lucy’s El Adobe Cafe, a well-known industry hangout. A classic Big Kahuna Burger, a recurring motif in Tarantino’s work, also makes an appearance, further cementing the connection to the established cinematic universe.
The soundtrack, featuring an Emerson, Lake and Palmer cover of “Peter Gunn,” reinforces the late 1970s setting. Beyond the aesthetic details, the teaser hints at a tone reminiscent of Tarantino’s Death Proof, with a focus on visceral action and a nod to exploitation cinema. The opening title card, playfully stating the preview has been “approved for all audiences by the bureau of content compliance,” and the subsequent “censorship” of smoking, drinking, and vulgarity on the “film stock” with scribbled marks, suggests a meta-commentary on the constraints of content and a playful wink to the audience.
While plot details remain scarce, the teaser showcases a supporting cast that reads like a who’s who of character actors. Elizabeth Debicki, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Carla Gugino, Timothy Olyphant (reprising his role as James Stacy), Scott Caan, Holt McCallany, and Peter Weller are all set to appear. A fleeting shot appears to show Cliff Booth holding an Academy Award, a reminder of Pitt’s win for his performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. There’s also a brief, intriguing glimpse of Karren Karagulian, known for his role in Sean Baker’s Anora, and what appears to be John Slattery of Mad Men fame.
Fincher’s involvement is particularly noteworthy. Throughout his career, the director has often adapted the work of others, bringing his distinct visual style and thematic concerns to novels and screenplays by writers like Gillian Flynn and Dennis Lehane. Here, he’s tackling a script by Tarantino, a filmmaker known for his singular voice and meticulous attention to detail. The collaboration suggests a fascinating dynamic, with Fincher potentially offering a unique perspective on Tarantino’s established world and characters. As one character in the teaser states, “I don’t possess many talents, but I know better than to get in the way of a good story,” a sentiment that perhaps speaks to Fincher’s approach to the material.
The Adventures of Cliff Booth represents a relatively rare instance of a sequel focusing on a supporting character from a critically acclaimed film. The decision to center the narrative on Booth, a character defined by his quiet competence and ambiguous past, suggests a desire to explore the undercurrents of Hollywood and the lives of those who operate on the periphery of fame. The film is slated for release on Netflix, though a specific date has not yet been announced. The Super Bowl teaser simply promises “Coming Soon…,” leaving fans eagerly anticipating further details about this unconventional continuation of a modern cinematic classic.
