Cliff Booth Officially Marks The End Of An Era For David Fincher And Netflix

The last time audiences saw the character of Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) was at the end of Quentin Tarantino's alternate-history film "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" in 2019. In that film, Cliff works as a stuntman and general gopher for trashy TV actor Rick Dalton (Leonard DiCaprio), and it was heavily implied that he had previously, deliberately, murdered his wife. His propensity for violence often got him into trouble, as when he bested Bruce Lee in hand-to-hand combat before a film shoot. His violence, however, served him well in the film's climax when Cliff viciously murders a few Manson Family members before they could take any lives. 

The results of that alternate timeline will be seen in David Fincher's upcoming film "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth," which was written by Quentin Tarantino. That movie is scheduled to be released in IMAX theaters on November 26, 2026, and will make its Netflix debut on December 23. 

According to a new report from Bloomberg, "Further Mis-Adventures" will mark the final film that David Fincher will make for Netflix, completing a three-picture contract that was put into place in 2020. Fincher signed with Netflix that year, and under that deal, he directed the Oscar-bait biopic "Mank," which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. For Netflix, he also helmed the assassination thriller "The Killer," and the deal will seemingly end with "The Further Mid-Adventures of Cliff Booth." 

David Fincher's collaborations with Netflix, however, extend back years before he signed the 2020 deal. He  served as an executive producer for the Netflix series "House of Cards," which ran for 63 episodes over its six seasons from 2013 to 2018. Fincher also directed two episodes. Fincher was also an executive producer for the Netflix series "Mindhunter," which lasted for 19 episodes over its two seasons from 2017 to 2019. He helmed seven episodes of that series, but ultimately, two years of making "Mindhunter" took its toll on David Fincher. 

Furthermore, Fincher executive produced the animated Netflix series "Love, Death & Robots," and directed two episodes of that one as well. That series only lasted for 45 episodes, but its four seasons spanned 2019 through 2025. Some may also remember the six-episode Netflix interview program "Voir," which allowed film critics to talk about their greatest cinematic passions (Sasha Stone talks about "Jaws," Walter Chaw talks about "48 Hrs.," etc.). Yeah, Fincher was also an executive producer on that one. 

And speaking of film critics, Elvis Mitchell wrote and directed a 2022 film about the history and legacy of African-American cinema called "Is That Black Enough For You?!?," which David Fincher produced. 

So, yeah, three films as a director, four fascinating TV shows, and one feature that he produced? That's a lot. And with Fincher's Netflix contract ending next year, per Bloomberg, this is much more than the end of a three-picture deal. This is the final exit of a filmmaker who has been collaborating with Netflix pretty steadily for the past 13 years.

Meanwhile, "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth" remains hotly anticipated by fans of Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood." The sequel takes place in 1977, eight years after Cliff Booth foiled the murderous plans of the Manson Family. He is no longer a stuntman for Rick Dalton (Rick, he says in the film's preview, got too fat), and now makes ends meet as a studio fixer. He also seems to pick up shifts at the New Beverly Cinema in Hollywood, California, a still-operational repertory theater that Quentin Tarantino owns. Personally, I worked there as a projectionist. 

"The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth" will also star Peter Weller as Gus, Cliff's father, and feature Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in central roles. Tarantino tends to script his own movies, having penned only a few screenplays for other directors. He wrote "True Romance" for director Tony Scott in 1993, and has a story-by credit on Oliver Stone's 1994 film "Natural Born Killers," a film he says he has never seen from beginning to end.  On top of those credits and others, Tarantino has also done uncredited rewrites on films like "Crimson Tide," which sparked a feud between Denzel Washington and the writer.

Time will tell where Fincher lands in the future. Given his imprimatur as a director and his general status as a beloved Hollywood icon, it's likely that he'll safely land on his feet somewhere. I can imagine most studios will have him.