New Cliff Booth trailer reveals the real reason Rick Dalton is missing from the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up
Brad Pitt is back as Cliff Booth in 1977. The sequel opens in IMAX on November 25, then lands on Netflix on December 23.
The first full look at The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth has arrived, and it answers one of the biggest questions hanging over the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up. Brad Pitt is back, David Fincher is directing, and the new trailer finally shows what Cliff is doing in 1977, plus why Rick Dalton is not by his side this time.
In the clip below, Netflix lays out the basics of this unusual return to Quentin Tarantino's Hollywood world. The film is written by Tarantino, directed by Fincher, and brings Pitt back to the role that earned him an Oscar.
The story moves to 1977, eight years after the events of the first movie. Cliff is no longer just a stuntman tied to Rick Dalton. The new synopsis says he now gets by bartending and working as a projectionist, while also operating as a fixer for Hollywood figures, handling problems with methods described as occasionally outside the law.
The release plan is already set. The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth starts a two week IMAX run on November 25, before arriving on Netflix on December 23.
The trailer also gives a simple, funny explanation for Rick Dalton's absence. Cliff says Rick got too fat for him to keep doubling, which is the clearest sign yet that this sequel is going its own way rather than reuniting the original central pair.
Plot-wise, Cliff is pulled into a fresh mess after talent agent Karen Crosby contacts him on behalf of her client Charlie Peters, a TV star known for doing his own stunts. From there, the film brings in Charlie's wife Toni, former football champion turned screen star Roderick "Hot Rod" Harrison, and the Verdusco brothers, who are described as gangsters causing mayhem across the city.
Alongside Pitt, the cast includes Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Matt Groove and JB Tadena. Peter Weller has also been named among the ensemble.
The official setup makes clear that the tone has shifted too. What began as a fairy tale in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is now framed as a crime story built around murder, blackmail, theft and extortion in Los Angeles. For viewers, the big change is straightforward: Cliff Booth is back this year, first in IMAX and then on Netflix just before Christmas.
