I understood when Quentin Tarantino decided to put The Hateful Eight on hold after the script was leaked.  It was his property, it wasn’t ready for public consumption, and it tainted the process.  But I’m overjoyed he decided to pick it back up and that it’s set for release next year.  According to Empire, Tarantino will begin filming in January, which means in all likelihood we’ll know the final cast before the end of 2014.  The full cast has yet to be announced, but Empire confirms Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins, and Samuel L. Jackson are attached; there’s also the possibility Jennifer Lawrence could be on board.

Even more exciting is that Tarantino is using his sway to get a 70mm presentation to as wide an audience as possible.  Hit the jump for more. [Update: Ben Fritz at the Wall Street Journal adds that The Hateful Eight will initially be released exclusively in 70mm, followed by a 35mm and digital release in the following weeks.]

Executive producer Harvey Weinstein tells Empire that The Hateful Eight will receive “the widest 70mm release for over 20 years”.  For those who don’t know what 70mm means, it refers to the film gauge and represents a wide, high-resolution image.  The reason we don’t get very many 70mm movies is that in addition to being expensive, theaters have a difficult time with projecting them.  But the payoff can be incredible, and I hope that when the film is released, audiences appreciate it.

However, keep in mind that just because Weinstein says the movie will receive the widest 70mm release in over twenty years, that doesn’t mean it will go to all theaters.  If you ignore movies like The Dark Knight, which sporadically included 70mm footage, then the only recent, true 70mm movies include The Master, Samsara, Baraka, and Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet.  I’m sure The Weinstein Company can get a Tarantino western into more theaters than those art house pictures, but I’d also be surprised if it’s only released in 70mm.

In any event, we’re sure to get more details on the presentation closer to release.  In the meantime, I’ll continue to appreciate that this movie is happening at all.

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The Hateful Eight 70mm Release