During the Super Bowl LX, Netflix surprised viewers by revealing a trailer for “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” a sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s highly regarded 2019 film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Brad Pitt, the 62-year-old actor, will be reprising the role of the stuntman that won him his first Oscar for acting. This marks an unforeseen continuation of one of Pitt’s most applauded performances.
The unexpected one-minute teaser confirmed Pitt’s return to his Oscar-winning role as Cliff Booth. The script for the sequel was penned by Tarantino who chose to hand over the directorial role to David Fincher, while he continues the search for his 10th and final film.
In the teaser, Pitt’s character Cliff Booth notes, “I don’t possess many talents, but I know better than to get in the way of a good story,” thereby epitomizing the character’s characteristic easy-going charm.
The brief teaser was accompanied by vintage music and showed Cliff relaxing at a bar, navigating a film set, and driving a derby car on a dirt racetrack. The footage included playful censoring of scenes with nudity, smoking, profanity, and violence. One scene showed Booth placing an Oscar trophy on his desk, a reference to Pitt’s real-life win for the first film.
Elizabeth Debicki was also seen in the trailer, starring opposite Pitt, with her character recalling events from the first film. The sequel, set in the 1970s, is a follow-up to Tarantino’s reimagined version of late 1960s Los Angeles where Booth and Rick Dalton—played by Leonardo DiCaprio—had encounters with the Manson Family. It is not expected that DiCaprio’s Dalton will reprise his role in the sequel.
Other actors featured in the trailer include Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Holt McCallany, and JB Tadena. Timothy Olyphant will return as western actor James Stacy from the first film. While the teaser has not been officially released online, copies continue to surface on social media.
Debicki shared her excitement about the film at the Sundance Film Festival in January. “I just wrapped on Fincher’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel, which was just such a dream to make,” Debicki told PEOPLE. “We shot it for nearly six months in L.A., and I just adored working with David.”
The role of Cliff Booth won Pitt his first acting Oscar at the 2020 Oscars ceremony. He had previously won an Oscar for producing “12 Years a Slave” in 2014. The original “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” received 10 Oscar nominations and won two awards: Best Production Design and Pitt’s Best Supporting Actor trophy.
The partnership between Tarantino and Fincher signals a meeting of two distinctive voices in Hollywood’s directorial scene. While Tarantino created the character and world of Cliff Booth, Fincher brings his own unique visual style to the sequel. This project reunites Pitt with Fincher for the first time since The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), following their collaborations on Se7en (1995) and Fight Club (1999). Erik Messerschmidt, a frequent collaborator of Fincher, serves as the film’s director of photography. Producing alongside Tarantino are Pitt, David Heyman, Ceán Chaffin, and Stacey Sher.
Pitt’s return to the role of Cliff Booth represents a significant moment in his career. Despite his star status, Pitt has often played supporting roles, assisting actors like DiCaprio, George Clooney, and Ed Norton in various films. The sequel positions him prominently in the lead.
Netflix has not yet announced a specific release date for “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” but plans to release it later this year. The Super Bowl trailer represents a major marketing investment for Netflix, securing one of the most expensive advertising slots to announce the project.
The sequel was among the high-profile releases advertised during the game, which also included Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day,” “Scream 7” featuring Neve Campbell, and an ad for “Mandalorian and Grogu.”
The unexpected announcement of the sequel during the Super Bowl generated significant interest, with fans expressing enthusiasm for Pitt’s return to the role.
With filming completed on location in Los Angeles, California on January 15, 2026, audiences can anticipate the arrival of “The Adventures of Cliff Booth” on Netflix in the coming months. Netflix’s decision to invest in a Super Bowl ad spot demonstrates confidence in the sequel’s ability to attract audiences and build on the success of its Oscar-winning predecessor.
