‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Sequel Trailer Debuts During Super Bowl LX

The first footage from The Adventures of Cliff Booth, the long-rumored sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, made its unexpected debut during Super Bowl LX on Sunday night, offering audiences a brief but telling glimpse at the Netflix-backed project. While Tarantino is not directing the film, the trailer suggests that his creative fingerprints remain firmly embedded in the material.

Written by Tarantino and directed by David Fincher, The Adventures of Cliff Booth centers once again on Brad Pitt’s laid-back stuntman, a character that earned the actor an Academy Award in the original film. The trailer places Booth back on the streets of Los Angeles, now several years removed from the violent encounter with Charles Manson’s followers that redefined the ending of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Based on visual clues, including a billboard advertising Looking for Mr. Goodbar, released in 1977, the sequel appears to be set sometime in the mid-to-late Seventies.

The teaser opens with Booth reflecting on the events of the first film in voiceover. “I don’t possess many talents,” he says. “But I know better than getting in the way of a good story.” The line functions as both a character statement and a thematic bridge, reinforcing Booth’s role as a peripheral but quietly influential figure in Hollywood’s ecosystem. From there, the trailer moves quickly through sun-bleached streets, smoky interiors, and moments of casual menace, suggesting a narrative that remains grounded in the moral gray zones Tarantino favors.

While Fincher’s involvement signals a tonal shift, his visual precision and psychological rigor differ markedly from Tarantino’s looser, dialogue-driven style; the trailer suggests a careful balance between the two filmmakers’ sensibilities. The grainy textures, period detail, and deliberate pacing evoke a shared nostalgia for a vanished Hollywood, even as Fincher’s colder aesthetic subtly reshapes the world Booth inhabits.

What is known is that Scott Caan, Elizabeth Debicki, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II have joined the cast in undisclosed roles. Notably absent is Leonardo DiCaprio, who played fading television star Rick Dalton in the original film. His omission signals a deliberate narrowing of focus, positioning Booth not as a supporting figure but as the film’s central lens.

The absence of Dalton also reinforces the sequel’s apparent thematic shift. Where Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was, at its core, a meditation on professional obsolescence and friendship within a changing industry, The Adventures of Cliff Booth appears more interested in examining the margins of Hollywood power.

The project’s existence marks a rare continuation within Tarantino’s body of work. The filmmaker has long insisted he intends to direct only ten films, a self-imposed limit that has shaped his career choices over the past decade. By handing directing duties to Fincher while retaining control of the script, Tarantino preserves that rule while still expanding the universe of one of his most commercially and critically successful films.

Netflix’s involvement also underscores the evolving economics of prestige filmmaking. Once resistant to streaming platforms, Fincher has become one of Netflix’s most prominent creative partners, having previously directed Mank and executive-produced Mindhunter. The Super Bowl trailer drop suggests Netflix views The Adventures of Cliff Booth as a major cultural event rather than a quiet streaming release.

Though the footage reveals little in terms of plot, it effectively establishes mood, era, and intent. The trailer positions the sequel as a character study rather than a spectacle-driven continuation, grounded in atmosphere and performance rather than overt narrative hooks. For now, that restraint appears intentional, inviting speculation while reaffirming confidence in the character’s enduring appeal.