How Many Films Quentin Tarantino Has Made (& Why He Counts It Wrong) (2024)

The number of Quentin Tarantino movies has been somewhat confusing as the acclaimed filmmaker counts down to his final directorial effort. Tarantino has one more movie left - according to his self-imposed 10-film goal, but he may have already directed more than nine films. Tarantino's tenth movie was reached with the release of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, though it was billed as Tarantino's ninth film. Since 1987, Quentin Tarantino has directed a short film, a segment within a movie, and several feature films. He has also written several screenplays he didn’t direct and once served as a “guest director” on Sin City. All this adds up to the number of Quentin Tarantino movies being up for debate.

Tarantino announced plans to retire from feature film directing following his tenth movie, making each new release all the more exciting even if some feel that limit has already been reached. When it comes to counting Quentin Tarantino movies directed, there is a conflict between how the film community counts his filmography. From the outsider's point of view to the claims of the filmmaker himself, the true number of Quentin Tarantino movies requires some explanation.

How Many Movies Quentin Tarantino Has Directed

The journey through all the Quentin Tarantino movies begins with his breakout movie with Reservoir Dogs (1992). Tarantino followed that up with his first Best Picture nominee Pulp Fiction (1994) followed by the Elmore Leonard adaptation, Jackie Brown (1997). Tarantino reunited with Uma Thurman in the two-part action movie Kill Bill (2003/2004). He then experienced his first flop with the grindhouse homage Death Proof (2007).

Tarantino's next movie was his World War II adventure Inglourious Basterds (2009) followed by his two Westerns, Django Unchained (2012) and The Hateful Eight (2015). His latest movie was the 1960s-set Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) while the upcoming The Movie Critic will supposedly be his final movie.

How Quentin Tarantino Counts His Movies

From the filmmaker's own perspective on Quentin Tarantino movies, Kill Bill is one collective movie, which would technically include Kill Bill: Volume 3 if it ever gets directed. In reality, Kill Bill was split into two separate releases — Kill Bill: Volume 1 and the sequel Kill Bill: Volume 2, released in 2003 and 2004, respectively. As Kill Bill: Volume 2 is the continuation of the first part of the story, Tarantino is justified in considering the Kill Bill saga as just one film. However, the fact is that they're still two disparate films in the same way that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 and Part 2 are separate films.

With that in mind, there are actually already 10 Quentin Tarantino movies directed, and that's discounting his first movie ever (which ended up being a somewhat long short film): My Best Friend's Wedding (1987). Tarantino may very well choose, artistically, to keep Kill Bill as one movie (without taking into account a potential Kill Bill3). This could sufficiently disregard the fact that he's actually directed more than nine films, with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood being his tenth. If Hollywood were to count all actual Quentin Tarantino movies, then it's fair to say that he's directed 11 movies altogether, though short films aren't typically associated with theatrical releases.

Why Quentin Tarantino Is Only Making 10 Movies

While he has drawn a lot of attention to the fact that he only wants to have 10 Quentin Tarantino movies before he officially closes out his time as a director, Tarantino's reasoning is due largely to the idea that directors make pretty terrible final films. Tarantino argued the quality of a director's films wanes over time, and he would want to cap off his time as a director with a good movie rather than a horrible one.

“I like that I will leave a 10-film filmography, and so I’ve got two more to go after this. It’s not etched in stone, but that is the plan. If I get to the tenth, do a good job and don’t screw it up, well, that sounds like a good way to end the old career. If, later on, I come across a good movie, I won’t not do it just because I said I wouldn’t. But 10 and done, leaving them wanting more — that sounds right.” - Quentin Tarantino to Deadline

It's Quentin Tarantino's legacy - what he wants to leave behind as a filmmaker. This makes a world of sense when taking into account Tarantino's filmography and choices in the films he directs. While it's hard to say for certain if Quentin Tarantino will actually follow through with only making 10 movies (and he's already, technically, directed more than that), the director doesn't think a comeback is entirely off the table.

The Right Viewing Order For Quentin Tarantino's Movies

In preparing for his final movie, fans may want to revisit all Quentin Tarantino movies in order. He has confirmed that most of his movies exist in one universe, but even though this affirms the theory about his movies being connected, there's no official "correct" viewing order for these films. That said, viewing Tarantino's movies chronologically – in order of their respective release dates – would be the best way to see his evolution as a director. Here's the recommended viewing order for Quentin Tarantino's films:

Is Tarantino only making 10 movies an unbendable rule in the director's long and stellar career? The short answer is no - it's unlikely that Quentin Tarantino will end his filmmaking career with Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Apart from how Tarantino has raked in several international movie awards with his latest films, Tarantino's movie universe still has many stories to be unraveled.

What Is Quentin Tarantino's Next Movie Be?

The final project to cap off the Quentin Tarantino movies will be called The Movie Critic. When it was first discussed in the press in March 2023, there was speculation that the movie would be about famed movie critic Pauline Kael who Tarantino often expressed an appreciation for. However, Tarantino later debunked those rumors, saying that it was not about any specific critic and later confirmed it would be a male critic at the center of the story which would be set in 1977. Tarantino revealed more aspects of The Movie Critic, sharing that it is the story of a critic who wrote reviews in a p*rno magazine in the 1970s.

It also seems like The Movie Critic is on a fast track with Tarantino confirming the script was finished and originally eyeing a Fall 2023 start date for production. Of course, those plans will now have to wait until the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are resolved. However, Tarantino also spoke about casting for the movie, revealing it would be a new leading man for him as he is seeking an American actor in his mid-30s. Brad Pitt was revealed to be starring in Tarantino's final movie by the trades.

Quentin Tarantino's Unmade Movies

While The Movie Critic will be Tarantino's 10th and possibly final movie, the director has been linked to a significant number of unrealized projects over the years that could have taken him to ten. For a long time, the question of Kill Bill Vol 3 came up (and could still technically happen, if Tarantino bends his rules), Then, of course, Tarantino's unmade Star Trek movie was an intriguing, but oddly out-of-place possibility for his tenth movie.

Arguably the most interesting missed opportunities are the unmade sequels Tarantino expressed interest in making:

Movies Tarantino Didn't Direct But Produced

The Quentin Tarantino movies he's directed ignore the other movies he has been involved in behind the scenes. There are those he directed segments, which include one segment in Four Rooms, and he is listed as a special guest director on Sin City. He also directed a scene in From Dusk Till Dawn and wrote several movies throughout his career, as well as worked as a script doctor, with credits in movies like True Romance and Natural Born Killers.

However, he also has a lot of producer credits, meaning he helped shepherd many movies to the big screen by lending his name to the projects. He was the executive producer on both Four Rooms and From Dusk Till Dawn, where he also helped in directing both of the movies. He also helped out his friend Eli Roth when he lent out his name as executive producer on Hostel, the horror director's breakout movie. The last time Tarantino worked in a producer role on a movie he didn't direct was in 2008 with the Larry Bishop movie Hell Ride.

Movies Tarantino Wrote But Didn't Direct

The Quentin Tarantino movies the filmmaker counts among his 10 also don't include the few movies he wrote but never directed. The first was True Romance which was the first script Tarantino sold in Hollywood and ended up being made by Tony Scott, a filmmaker Tarantino greatly admired. Interestingly, the movie ended up featuring several actors Tarantino would work with later in his career, including Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, and Brad Pitt. Tarantino praised Scott's take on his script and even preferred the ending that Scott changed from Tarantino's original script.

However, the next movie that was based on a script by Tarantino did not get his approval. Natural Born Killers was the ultra-violent odyssey by Oscar-winner Oliver Stone which starred Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as two lovers on a killing spree across America which turns them into folk heroes and media sensations. Tarantino hated Natural Born Killers and Stone's reworking of his script, completely disowning it. To date, From Dusk Til Dawn is the last movie Tarantino wrote but didn't direct, allowing friend and collaborator Robert Rodriguez to helm the vampire movie while Tarantino acted in it alongside George Clooney.

Natural Born Killers

R

The 1994 crime thriller Natural Born Killers, adapted from an original story by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Oliver Stone, tells the story of two murderers who become celebrities due to their charming personality. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis star as criminals Mickey and Mallory Knox, with Robert Downey Jr. as sleazy journalist Wayne Gale, Tom Sizemore as Detective Jack Scagnetti, and Tommy Lee Jones as Warden Dwight McClusky.

Director

Oliver Stone

Release Date

August 26, 1994

Writers

Quentin Tarantino , Richard Rutowski , Oliver Stone , David Veloz

Cast

Robert Downey Jr. , Juliette Lewis , Tom Sizemore , Woody Harrelson , Rodney Dangerfield

Runtime

118 minutes