Tarantino’s still working on The Hateful Eight

After claiming that he’d scrapped his script for Western-inspired movie ‘The Hateful Eight’ following its leak in January, it seems Quentin Tarantino has changed his mind.

At a reading of the first draft this weekend at the Ace Hotel in Downtown LA, the director revealed he is still working on the screenplay.

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“I’m working on a second draft and I will do a third draft but we’re reading from the first draft,” he clarified to the audience, noting that the film’s fifth and final chapter - ‘Black Night, White Hell’ - has been rewritten. “This will be the only time it is seen ever,” he told fans.

Tarantino proceeded to introduce his cast of favourites, which he dubbed “the Tarantino All-Stars,” as each has appeared in one of his previous movies.

While some of the actors read multiple roles, the line-up included  Samuel L. Jackson as Major Marquis Warren, James Parks as the driver O.B., Kurt Russell as bounty hunter John Ruth, aka ‘The Hangman’, Amber Tamblyn as his prisoner Daisy Domergue, Walton Goggins as Chris Mannix, Denis Menochet as the Frenchman Bob, Tim Roth as the Englishman Oswaldo Mobray, Michael Madsen as John Gage, Bruce Dern as Confederate General Smithers, Dana Gourrier as Minnie, Zoe Bell as Six Horse Judy and James Remar as Jody.

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“We’ve been rehearsing for the last three days. We’re OK, we’re not bad,” Tarantino warned, before narrating the violent and profane post-Civil War set script complete with stage direction, scene setting and camera angles.

Variety reports that Tarantino even stopped the reading at points to rewrite scenes, and asked actors to repeat lines, playfully telling them to “stick to the page” and adding, “No more co-writing.”

Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Rick Nicita and Jesse Plemons were among the industry bods at the event, the proceeds from which benefited Film Independent at LACMA.