Quentin Tarantino to stage 'swashbuckling comedy' play in London

Film director Quentin Tarantino is coming to London's West End to stage a "swashbuckling comedy" play set in 1830s Europe.

The US film-maker is best known for blood-soaked film classics such as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, but is switching his attention to theatre to write and direct The Popinjay Cavalier.

The play will be "a rambunctious comedy of deception and disguise inspired by the grand swashbuckling epics of stage and screen", and will reach the stage in early 2027, the announcement said.

It is also billed as "a sweeping celebration of theatre and its heightened romance, told with Tarantino's signature style and unmistakable wit".

There are no details yet of who will be in the cast, which theatre will host it or how much tickets will cost.

He has made nine so far - if Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 are counted together - with the most recent being 2019's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.

He became one of Hollywood's most celebrated and popular film-makers in the 1990s and has won two Oscars, for writing Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained.

'Preparing for it to be a success'

He first revealed his plan to stage a play last summer, telling the Church of Tarantino podcast it was "all written".

"It is absolutely the next thing I'm going to do. We'll start the ball rolling on it in January. It's probably going to take up a year and a half to two years of my life, if it's a success and I've got to do the tour version of it and all that," he said.

"I'm preparing for it to be a success. If it's a flop, I'll be done very quickly."

The 62-year-old has now revealed the title, which gives some more clues about its contents.

A popinjay is defined as "a vain, foppish or conceited person", while a cavalier is a cavalryman (a soldier on horseback) or courteous gentleman.

Tarantino hasn't revealed why he has chosen London's West End over New York to launch it.

But it also said "the financial model that sustains British theatre is under growing strain".

Tarantino's show should be a big attraction and give the West End a further boost, although such a hot ticket could mean steep prices for fans.

The play will be co-produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, which has overseen hits like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Paddington the Musical; along with Sony Pictures Entertainment, which distributed Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.

Tarantino also published a novel adaptation of Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood in 2021, and has penned the script for a film sequel titled The Adventures of Cliff Booth, which will again star Brad Pitt and is expected to be released later this year.

But Tarantino has not directed the sequel - that role has been filled by David Fincher.

Tarantino lives in Tel Aviv with his Israeli wife, Daniella Pick, and their two children. He told the podcast last year that he would "more than likely move to England and bring my family with me" while working on the play.

Last week rumours on social media falsely claimed he had been killed in an Iranian missile attack.

Tarantino is also known for his forthright personality and recently made headlines for launching a stinging criticism of actor Paul Dano, and for a spat with Pulp Fiction actress Rosanna Arquette after she criticised the use of the N-word in the 1994 film.