In a strange turn of events, a little more than a week after announcing that Quentin Tarantino would be making the Western The Hateful Eight his next picture, he's now thinking about shelving it.  Literally.  He's considering publishing the story first and then possibly revisiting it as a film some time in the next five years.  Why?  Well, it seems that a copy of the script sent out to a small circle of actors has been leaked, and Tarantino is so distraught over that fact that he's thinking about scrapping production plans.  Hit the jump for more.

Deadline reports that Tarantino may turn The Hateful Eight into a book before adapting it for a film, in part because of an inner circle betrayal.  Here's Tarantino's reaction:

“I’m very, very depressed. I finished a script, a first draft, and I didn’t mean to shoot it until next winter, a year from now. I gave it to six people, and apparently it’s gotten out today ... I gave it to one of the producers on Django Unchained, Reggie Hudlin, and he let an agent come to his house and read it. That’s a betrayal, but not crippling because the agent didn’t end up with the script. There is an ugly maliciousness to the rest of it. I gave it to three actors: Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth. The one I know didn’t do this is Tim Roth. One of the others let their agent read it and that agent has now passed it on to everyone in Hollywood. I don’t know how these fucking agents work, but I’m not making this next. I’m going to publish it, and that’s it for now. I give it out to six people and if I can’t trust them to that degree, then I have no desire to make it. I’ll publish it. I’m done. I’ll move on to the next thing. I’ve got ten more where that came from.”

You'd think maybe Tarantino would want to channel his reaction to this betrayal into a presumably vengeful film, if the title is any indication, but who am I to tell him what to do.  He did say he'd likely write a big part for Bruce Dern for his next film, which was one of two (including The Hateful Eight) that have been on his mind recently.  He didn't give any details on that project (obviously), but The Wrap may have a lead on Tarantino's next film, saying:

Tarantino has been considering a prison movie of sorts and has immersed himself in the details of the Robert Blake case, though a representative for Blake told TheWrap several weeks ago that Tarantino has not reached out to the former “Baretta” star, who was acquitted of killing his wife.

In the meantime, Tarantino is focused on finding out the source of the leak:

“I hadn’t given it to Christoph, I haven’t given it to Sam Jackson. I gave it to three motherfucking actors. We met in a place and I put it in their hands. Reggie Hudlin’s agent never had a copy. It’s got to be either the agents of Dern or Madsen. Please name names.[emphasis mine]

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Image via The Weinstein Company

And should you eventually find a copy of his script online, here's what the iconic director has to say about that:

“I am not talking out of both sides of my mouth, because I do like the fact that everyone eventually posts it, gets it and reviews it on the net. Frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I like the fact that people like my shit, and that they go out of their way to find it and read it. But I gave it to six motherfucking people! Starting this week, I’ll be setting meetings with publishers.”

Though it sounds like you won't see it in theaters any time soon, it's likely that you'll be able to pick it up in book form before long.