ALISON BOSHOFF: Quentin Tarantino to bring ‘classic British trouser dropping’ farce to the West End

Ever since film director Quentin Tarantino announced last summer that his next project would be bringing a play to the West End, everyone has been wondering what it would be.

Could it be an adaptation of one of his movies like Reservoir Dogs or Kill Bill? Could there be a musical version of Pulp Fiction?

All he said on a podcast last August was: ‘The play is written. This is definitely the next thing I’ll do. We’ll start getting the ball rolling in January… It’ll probably take a year and a half to two years of my life.’

I will finally be able to uncover what ‘it’ is.

Stranger than fiction, the fact is that Tarantino has written an original, old-fashioned British comedy in the vein of Brian Rix or Ray Cooney slamming the door, dropping his trousers, mistaken identity.

It will most likely debut in 2027, but late 2026 is still a distant possibility. My excellently placed source says: ‘He wrote it himself. It’s not based on any of his movies. This is nonsense in the British tradition of Noises Off.

His next project, a play, will likely debut in 2027, though late 2026 is still a long shot (file image)

‘He is currently looking at theaters of different sizes and types when assessing staging.’

Apparently this is crucial to the project and there are whispers that an actor will walk in over the wire in one scene.

Meanwhile, Tarantino is negotiating with major Hollywood stars to appear in the series.

None of his usual troupers like Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt have even remotely a theater background, so it will be fascinating to see who he turns to.

He could have chosen someone like Bradley Cooper, who starred in the West End production of The Elephant Man a decade ago.

Tarantino, who currently lives in Israel with his wife Daniella Pick, has been spending time in London and was spotted in the audience of High Noon in the West End in February.

He recently chose not to direct the movie The Adventures Of Cliff Booth for Netflix, which is the continuation of the world he created in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and once again stars Brad Pitt. He wrote the script but David Fincher directed it.

This is because he is committed to his plan to direct only ten feature films in his life.

He scrapped the film The Film Critic, which would have been his last escapade; but he has yet to choose a new project for his final memoir.

Briers is back to work

There’s a sweet Easter egg for fans of the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries in upcoming BBC drama The Other Bennet Sister.

Actress Lucy Briers played Mary Bennet in this series and was brought back to portray the exhausted maid Mrs. Hill.

Actress Lucy Briers played Mary Bennet in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries (left) and returns for the upcoming BBC Series (right)

The Other Bennet Sister tells the story of Mary, a minor character in Jane Austen’s novel. She is played by Call The Midwife and Bridgerton actress Ella Bruccoleri.

Paltrow forgot something!

Gwyneth Paltrow had a spectacular night at the Actor Awards (the event formerly known as the SAG awards) on Sunday night, but was something slipping her mind?

Paltrow didn’t wish her husband Brad Falchuk a happy birthday; and he didn’t come with it.

It’s weird, because last year she wrote: ‘Happy birthday to the best boyfriend/husband/friend I could ever hope for. Thank you for being my backbone and the backbone of our family. I love you incredibly deeply, forever.’

Gwyneth Paltrow was photographed in December with her husband Brad Falchuk at the Marty Supreme premiere in Los Angeles on December 8, 2025.

This time there was no mention of Brad, his big day or his releases.

TV producer Falchuck is riding high with the success of Famous Last Words, his last candid interview with a celebrity, published only after his death. The recently released episode featuring actor Eric Dane was a hit on Netflix, and he has a dozen more episodes planned.

Dakota’s time to shine

I’ve heard heated debates about whether Dakota Johnson is a ‘limited’ actress or whether she’s making poor choices like Madame Webb and the Fifty Shades trilogy.

The debate is about to be settled once and for all, as Johnson will be sharing the screen with arguably the two most acclaimed actresses of her generation (Academy Award frontrunner Jessie Buckley and four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan) in a prestigious arthouse project.

Dakota Johnson photographed at the Valetino fashion show in Paris, France on January 28, 2026

The trio will star in the film, adapted from Audrey Niffenegger’s novel Three Incestuous Sisters, about siblings living in physical and emotional isolation.

And to make the project even scarier, director Alice Rohrwacher will apparently be making it as a silent film.

Rohrwacher said: ‘I think… silent cinema, and European silent cinema in particular – the work of the great European masters – is not just something that precedes cinema. It’s a completely different medium of expression.’

Filming will begin next month, after Ronan has wrapped her role as Linda McCartney in Sam Mendes’ Beatles films.

Epstein documentary on the horizon

Interviewer Emily Maitlis has hit out at Prince Andrew in her history-making Newsnight interview in 2019 about his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The hilarious drama surrounding the interview caught up with him again in A Very Royal Scandal; here she is portrayed by Ruth Wilson and portrayed by Michael Sheen. (Maitlis also served as executive producer on the series.)

And – ding, ding – coming for Round 3, it could be revealed that Maitlis is hoping to start a drama about Epstein.

This time, instead of the disgraced former prince, the disgraced financier with friends in high places will be the main focus.

Interviewer Emily Maitlis took a swipe at Prince Andrew (pictured during the interview) during his history-making Newsnight interview in 2019.

And now Maitlis (filmed in October 2019) hopes to bring a drama about Jeffrey Epstein to life

The actors will compete for the chance to portray Bill Clinton, who this week described Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Bill Gates, Woody Allen and Epstein as “an interesting man”.

You might think it would probably be unwise to film a drama while the story at its center is still developing, but it looks like it won’t be about the fallout and aftermath of Epstein’s crimes; it’s more about how he managed to move in society and gain influence and wealth. The US Department of Justice’s recent release of a new tranche of files has given the project new momentum, but I understand it was already in development. ‘Emily is very keen to make this happen,’ I was told.

The project is being undertaken with TV production company Bluesky, which is part of Sony.

A Very Royal Scandal was a three-part series that premiered on Prime Video in September 2024. Before this there was rival film Scoop, based on the book by Newsnight producer Sam McAlister. This movie starred Gillian Anderson as Maitlis and Rufus Sewell as Andrew.

Chalamet has Oscar competition

Watch out Timothee – Michael B. Jordan is enjoying a last-minute Oscar boost.

Jordan, who plays identical twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners, saw his fortunes plummet dramatically after winning Best Actor and delivering a perfectly pitched inspirational speech at the Actor Awards on Sunday.

There’s also plenty of sympathy after he and Sinners star Delroy Lindo suffered an (unintentional) upset at the Baftas.

Timothee Chalamet (pictured at BAFTA) looks set to join the Oscars race in the form of Michael B. Jordan

Jordan, who plays identical twins Smoke and Stack (seen in the film) in Sinners, saw his fortunes fall dramatically after picking up the Best Actor award at the Actor Awards on Sunday.

Voting for the Academy Awards ended yesterday. Entertainment site Gold Derby, which aggregates predictions from industry experts, says he is up 34 percentage points and now has a 39 percent chance of winning.

Marty Supreme star Timothee Chalamet still leads with 46 percent, but that dropped 27 points overnight.

There was a consensus a while ago that Jessie Buckley was a sure thing for Hamnet; Following wins at the Bafta and Actor Awards, Sean Penn is tipped to take the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for One After the War and Another.

The supporting actress race is wide open; One Battle’s Teyana Taylor is given a run for her money by Amy Madigan, who is nominated for her role as a very evil witch in the horror movie Weapons.

No more reality TV for Lauren

Where to Lauren Cowell? Simon Cowell’s fiancée has been accepted as a client by her representatives at YMU, and Cowell has described it as an ‘exciting new chapter’ in his career.

Lauren featured prominently in Cowell’s latest documentary, Simon Cowell: The Next Chapter, about starting a boy band.

But his friends say he doesn’t want to do any more reality shows. Instead, he develops business ideas around young people and social media.