Hollywood’s golden boy Brad Pitt was all smiles in Los Angeles this weekend as he stepped back into one of his most celebrated roles.
The 61-year-old actor was spotted filming The Adventures of Cliff Booth, the much-anticipated sequel to Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
This time, the camera’s in the hands of David Fincher, who’s taking over directing duties from Quentin Tarantino.
A Retro Look on Set
On Sunday morning, Pitt looked effortlessly cool in a throwback outfit—an off-white button-up shirt paired with worn blue jeans and brown shoes.
He completed the look with shaggy blond hair swept to the side, dark sunglasses, and a confident stroll past a vintage car parked on set.
Crew members described the actor as being in great spirits.
At one point, a production assistant handed him a Starbucks cup, and onlookers noted that he looked “very happy” to be back in character.
Revisiting an Award-Winning Role
Pitt originally brought Cliff Booth to life in Tarantino’s 2019 film, a performance that earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
At the time, he triumphed over heavyweights like Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino.
The first film, set in 1969, followed Booth—a war veteran turned stuntman and loyal sidekick to fading actor Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Fans of the original will be excited to hear DiCaprio’s old co-star Timothy Olyphant is also returning as James Stacy.
A Packed Cast List
The sequel doesn’t stop with Pitt and Olyphant. IMDb confirms an impressive ensemble including Holt McCallany, Corey Fogelmanis, Carla Gugino, Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Barry Livingston, JB Tadena, J.E. Burton, and Henry Foster Brown.
With such a lineup, the film is shaping up to be as star-studded as the original.
Tarantino’s Influence Still Lingers
Even though Tarantino won’t be behind the camera this time, his fingerprints are still on the project.
He first spoke about the idea back in May 2023 at the Cannes Film Festival while hosting a screening of Rolling Thunder (1977).
Tarantino revealed that the story would be set in 1977, centered on a real but little-known figure who once wrote movie reviews for an adult magazine.
That unusual inspiration, he explained, came from his teenage years stocking vending machines with risqué magazines.
Inspiration from Unlikely Places
According to Tarantino, amid the pages of the adult rag, there was one surprisingly sharp film critic whose writing style stuck with him.
He described the critic’s voice as a mix of early Howard Stern and what Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver might sound like if he were a reviewer—snarky, cynical, and unfiltered.
That gritty creative spark helped shape the DNA of Cliff Booth’s new adventure.
What’s Next for Cliff Booth?
With Brad Pitt looking as cool as ever and David Fincher steering the ship, The Adventures of Cliff Booth promises to be a retro ride with plenty of edge.
Fans are now eagerly waiting to see how this 1977-set story will expand the world of Tarantino’s original classic—this time with a different directorial flavor but the same unforgettable character.