Movies

Quentin Tarantino names the only filmmaker who is on his level: “We are the two best directors”

The celebrated director of Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill has never been one to hold back his opinions—and by now, he’s firmly established as a Hollywood icon.

Cristian Ciuraneta Catalán

Update: Aug 19th, 2025 17:28 CEST

Quentin Tarantino, the famed director of films such as Pulp Fiction, the two Kill Bill installments, Inglourious Basterds, and The Hateful Eight, among many others, believes that only David Fincher and himself stand as the two best directors. That’s exactly how blunt the always outspoken filmmaker was on the podcast The Church of Tarantino. And the fact that Fincher is currently directing the sequel to Tarantino’s hit Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood supposedly has nothing to do with his statement—or maybe it does?

Only David Fincher is on Tarantino’s level, according to Tarantino

Although Tarantino chose to continue the story of Cliff Booth—the character played by Brad Pitt in 2019’s Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood—through a spin-off, he ultimately decided not to direct the project himself, focusing only on the script. For that reason, he turned to the one director he considers his equal: David Fincher, the filmmaker behind movies like Alien 3, Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Quentin Tarantino names the only filmmaker who is on his level: “We are the two best directors”

“I think David Fincher is the best director. I think me and David Fincher are the two best directors,” Tarantino said. ”So the idea that David Fincher actually wants to adapt my work to me shows a level of seriousness towards my work that I think needs to be taken into account.” For Tarantino, The Adventures of Cliff Booth represents a rare opportunity to shine purely as a screenwriter without stepping behind the camera:

“Because I direct my own stuff, I don’t think I’ve gotten the respect as a writer that I entirely deserve. Because most people just think, ‘Well, he’s writing stuff for himself to do,’” Tarantino explained, while reiterating that Fincher is his favorite director. “I like the idea of David Fincher — I like the idea of any great director, big director adapting my work," he explained. “Because I’ve been the person adapting most of it. So I’m interested to see what he ends up doing with it.”

Tarantino’s next steps after Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood originally involved The Movie Critic, which started as a miniseries before becoming a feature film—a sort of spiritual sequel to Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood. It’s set in the same universe but with no cameos from the original cast: “It is the same town, except in 1977, as opposed to 1969. It was pre-production that made me realize that I was so excited about the writing, but I wasn’t really that excited about dramatizing what I wrote.”

Brad Pitt was the link between the two directors

Brad Pitt, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood, was actually the bridge that brought the two directors together, since the acclaimed actor had already worked with both of them. “He was the glue that put us together,” Tarantino said.