Hauser is reportedly in talks to play the film’s title critic in Quentin Tarantino’s final work, according to Scooper Daniel Richtman, who first announced the news on his Patreon. Jim Sheldon, supposedly a critic for the Hollywood Press in the 1970s and a fictitious character that will be portrayed by Hauer. It is a fact that the movie won’t be a “revenge film,” a category that many of Tarantino’s flicks can fit into. Could the new film “The Movie Critic” feature the legendary collaboration between director Quentin Tarantino and actor Paul Walter Hauser?
Richtman’s report does mention that these casting negotiations took place before the strikes. That indicates that Tarantino and Hauser’s team had a meeting before the SAG-AFTRA strike put a stop to all filming and casting. Despite not having collaborated with Quentin Tarantino yet, Paul Walter Hauser has a very impressive list of premium cinema credits, including Richard Jewell, I, Tonya, and BlackKklansman. The actor most recently earned the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series prize at this year’s Golden Globe Awards for Black Bird.
There isn’t much information available about The Movie Critic, but what we do know paints an intriguing picture—especially when you take Paul Walter Hauser, who occupies the piece’s central position. The movie is set in 1977 California, and according to Tarantino, it “is based on a guy who really lived, but was never really famous, and he used to write movie reviews for a porno rag.” Additionally, this casting relates to what Tarantino said regarding casting at the time, stating, “I haven’t decided yet, but it’s going to be somebody in the 35-year-old ballpark. It’ll definitely be a new leading man for me.”
There haven’t been any other specifics about the story, casting, or other characters, but there have been rumors that Samuel L. Jackson will also appear in the movie. The Movie Critic’s screenplay is finished, and once the Hollywood strikes are over, production will be able to begin.
