Quentin Tarantino has a long list of unmade movies, but the one that initially seemed somewhat possible was Kill Bill 3, — here’s everything Quentin Tarantino has shared about the third Kill Bill movie since Kill Bill: Volume 2 came out, but be warned, the latest Kill Bill 3 news isn't good. Tarantino’s career as a filmmaker began in 1992 with the crime movie Reservoir Dogs, but his big break arrived two years later with Pulp Fiction. Since then, Tarantino has explored different genres with his movies — from slasher with Death Proof to western with Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, and even martial arts with Kill Bill.
Tarantino expanded his horizons in 2003 with Kill Bill, a martial arts movie that introduced audiences to Beatrix Kiddo/The Bride (Uma Thurman), who was on a revenge mission to end with a team of assassins she used to work with and their leader, Bill (David Carradine), after they tried to kill her and her unborn child at her wedding. Although Kill Bill 2 brought the Bride’s timeline to an end, Tarantino has shared plans for Kill Bill 3 from the year the second movie came out in 2004. Here’s everything he has said about a new Kill Bill over the two decades since and some unfortunate Kill Bill 3 news.
Related: Why Quentin Tarantino Only Wants To Make 10 Movies (Will He Really Stop?)
The Latest Kill Bill 3 News
Unfortunately, the latest Kill Bill 3 news isn't happy tidings. Regardless of how successful the venture would inevitably be, director Quentin Tarantino has nixed the possibility of Kill Bill 3 during an interview with the German site De Morgen while discussing his latest and final endeavor, The Movie Critic. Despite rumors and wishes that the Kill Bill movie series was supposed to be a trilogy, Tarantino marked his end in the directorial industry with The Movie Critic. When asked about Kill Bill 3, Tarantino said, “I don’t see that. My last film is about a film critic, a male critic. And he plays in the 70s."
Tarantino has gone back and forth giving hope to audiences about a new Kill Bill movie, to then shatter it, just to give them hope again a couple of years later. In 2012, Tarantino said that Kill Bill 3 probably wouldn’t happen, and in 2016, it was reported that he spoke with Thurman about it, but he remained non-committal on making the movie happen (via Esquire). In 2019, Tarantino shared that he had recently talked to Thurman about it and shared ideas for the story and that it would happen “at least three years from now” (via IndieWire), with Thurman confirming that he “wrote something”.
Kill Bill 3 Isn't Happening
The latest Kill Bill 3 news basically kills the idea of a trilogy seeing the light of day. Tarantino himself has stated that Kill Bill 3 isn't confirmed and that his final film will be The Movie Critic. Keeping this in mind, this inevitably means that there is no Kill Bill 3 release date, nor will there be one in the distant future. While it's always possible to finish out the franchise with a different director and Tarantino possibly executive producing and penning the screenplay, that doesn't seem all that likely to happen.
The Kill Bill 3 Cast
With the latest Kill Bill 3 news shutting the door on the franchise, there won't be a definitive Kill Bill 3 cast. However, it hasn't stopped audiences from speculating or creating their own dream cast. On the off chance that Kill Bill 3 were to happen under a different director, the Bride and Uma Thurman would still be included, and if Sophie Fatale returns, then Julie Dreyfus would also be part of the cast of Kill Bill 3. If Elle Driver returns as well — and she totally could as the Bride didn’t kill her but left her completely blind — then Daryl Hannah would also have to come back.
As for the new talent in the prospective Kill Bill 3 cast, Vivica A. Fox has an idea as to who could play Nikki: if Ambrosia Kelley can’t or doesn’t want to reprise her role as Nikki, then she would like to see Zendaya taking over (via The A.V. Club). However, when it comes to who could play B.B, Tarantino had an idea: Maya Hawke, Uma Thurman’s daughter, sharing that it would be “f--king exciting” to see mother and daughter playing that same dynamic in Kill Bill 3 (via The Hollywood Reporter). Audiences are completely on board with the idea of Hawke joining the franchise as well.
Kill Bill 3’s Canceled Story
Despite the director nixing the film in the latest Kill Bill 3 news, Tarantino has not only teased the possibility of Kill Bill 3 in the past but also what the movie could be about. In an interview with EW, Tarantino shared that the focus of the Kill Bill 3 story would be on Vernita Green’s daughter, Nikki. In the fight between the Bride and Vernita, the Bride was quicker, and she threw a knife to her chest which was witnessed by Nikki. The Bride told her that if she still feels “raw about it” when she grows up, she will be waiting.
Tarantino’s idea for Kill Bill 3, then, would be all about Nikki being raised by Sofie Fatale (Julie Dreyfus), who got all of Bill’s money after his death. Nikki will then take on the Bride in Kill Bill 3's story as she “deserves her revenge every bit as much as the Bride deserved hers” – but there’s also B.B., who is the daughter of two assassins, and she would surely help her mother out. Tarantino has also said that he wanted to wait 10 years after Kill Bill 2 in order to give the Bride and B.B. a period of peace, but that time has already passed.
In June 2021, Tarantino shared more story ideas for Kill Bill 3, explaining that it would see the Bride and B.B. forced to go on the run after a period of peace. In addition to that, Tarantino teased the possible return of another member of the Deadly Vipers: Elle Driver, as well as Gogo’s (Chiaki Kuriyama) twin sister, Shiaki, who could return to avenge her sister. It seemed like there were plenty of ideas knocking around Tarantino's head for the prospective Kill Bill 3 story. However, the latest Kill Bill 3 news has confirmed that the film isn't happening, so none of these plots will see the light of day.
Everything Uma Thurman Has Said About Kill Bill 3
Everyone wants to know what the titular Bride has to say about Kill Bill 3. In 2022, actress Uma Thurman gave some rather disappointing Kill Bill 3 news (via Sirius XM's The Jess Cagle Show). Thurman expressed that it's certainly not hitting the screens anytime soon. While Tarantino claimed that he had a story in mind, plans for Kill Bill3 aren't coming to fruition. When asked about the potential third installment, Thurman had this to say, "I can't really tell you anything about it. I mean it has been discussed over the years. There was real thought about it happening, but very long ago. I don't see it as immediately on the horizon."
Everything Maya Hawke Has Said About Kill Bill 3
Maya Hawke spoke openly (viaThe Guardian) about appearing in Kill Bill 3 after working with Tarantino in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, mostly pinning the possibility on Tarantino's schedule. "There are always rumors about that. Quentin is on his own darn schedule. He’ll do what he wants when he damn well wants," the Stranger Things actor said. She then added, "But I’ve known him my whole life and if he ever wanted to work with me again, of course I would love to." Both Uma Thurman and Maya Hawke have stated that there isn't a chance that Kill Bill 3 is going to happen soon — and now it's not happening at all.
Kill Bill Was Intended To Be A Trilogy
Despite the Kill Bill 3 news that the film has been axed, it was initially supposed to happen — and even go beyond that. While working on Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2, Tarantino believed they would end up with a total of four movies, with the final two being made once every ten years. Speaking in 2004 (viaEW), Tarantino shared that he initially saw his Kill Bill movies as his “Dollars Trilogy” (a reference to Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western trilogy) and wanted to do one every ten years. However, working on the first two movies was exhausting, and he said he would need “at least fifteen years."
Speculation around a third Kill Bill movie continued in 2007 when executive producer Bennett Walsh shared at the Shanghai Film Festival the basic idea for Kill Bill 3 and 4. Two years later, and now at the Morelia International Film Festival, Tarantino reassured his interest in making Kill Bill 3, and he later said it would be his ninth film (as he has famously stated he will retire after making 10 movies). At the time, Tarantino had only made six movies, so planning Kill Bill 3 as his ninth made sense, but all that changed, and that spot went to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with The Movie Critic being his final film.
Is It Too Late For Kill Bill 3?
While Kill Bill 3 news sees Tarantino shutting the door on the franchise, it's definitely never too late for Kill Bill 3. This is mostly due to the idea of Tarantino's plot for the next franchise installment. The director himself wanted 20 years between Kill Bill: Vol. 2 and any subsequent sequels, meaning the timing does work out as of now. Another reason that it's not too late to make Kill Bill 3 is because of the prospect of casting Maya Hawke as B.B., The Bride's daughter. Thurman's daughter bears a striking resemblance to her mother, and she's the perfect age to play the character.
Other rumors have said that the third movie could be released as an anime rather than live-action, although this appears to be pure speculation. In June 2021, Tarantino changed the time setting for Kill Bill 3 once again and said it would happen 20 years after the ending of Kill Bill 2. In October 2021, at the Rome Film Festival, Tarantino was asked if Kill Bill 3 could be his 10th and final movie, to which he simply replied “why not?”. However, Tarantino has redacted previous statements during his interview with De Morgen, stating outright that The Movie Critic will be the project he chooses to go out on.
Related: Kill Bill 3 Should Still Happen (Even Without Tarantino)
Could Kill Bill 3 Be Made Without Quentin Tarantino?
Though some may find another director at the helm of Kill Bill 3 unthinkable, there's always the possibility that it could work without Quentin Tarantino, and the latest Kill Bill 3 news all but necessitates it. A fresh perspective could breathe new life into the Bride, especially if Uma Thurman were to pass the torch to her daughter. What could potentially work would be if a female director took on the new Kill Bill movie. The Kill Bill franchise is inherently female-led and focuses on mothers and daughters. Therefore, someone like, say, Karyn Kusama (Yellowjackets, Jennifer's Body) could tackle Kill Bill 3, and make it entirely their own.
