Quentin Tarantino‘s body of work continues to hit home with generations of viewers, but one imminent project is especially exciting for how long it has taken to arrive. Dating back to 2003, and likely even earlier than that, an upcoming Tarantino movie is what countless fans have been waiting for, even if they didn’t know they were. Those familiar with Tarantino’s movies will already be aware of what’s to come — at least, for the most part.
Widely regarded as one of the best movie directors of all time, Tarantino has a distinct style of storytelling that has influenced many aspiring and veteran filmmakers. That said, no one has ever been able to come close to imitating how Tarantino approaches bringing his words to life. Everything from his movie soundtracks to the irreverent camerawork is Tarantino’s stamp of genius. After the decision to abandon making The Movie Critic in 2024, the industry has been wondering what would come next for the legendary writer/director. The answer ultimately turned out to be something of a welcome surprise.
‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’ Is Coming To Cinemas For The First Time
2003’s Kill Bill: Vol. 2 was just Tarantino’s eighth directing credit. Of his most notable projects, it was his fourth time leading a production after 1992’s Reservoir Dogs, 1994’s Pulp Fiction, and 1997’s Jackie Brown. The six-year gap between Jackie Brown and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 was the longest in his directing career to that point, and it has only recently been matched by the fact that he hasn’t directed anything new since 2019’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. By contrast, it only took until 2004 for Kill Bill: Vol. 2 to arrive in movie theaters. Originally shot and intended for release as a four-hour epic, Kill Bill was ultimately split into two volumes for convenience.
Over two decades later, 2006’s Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair will receive its first widespread cinematic release, allowing more fans than ever to witness the saga as it was always meant to be. On Dec. 5, 2025, both volumes will hit cinema screens together, although many screenings are expected to have an intermission midway through the 281-minute runtime. For those unwilling to do the math, that’s 4 hours and 41 minutes of watching Uma Thurman’s violent quest to pull off the movie’s titular task.
In an age where movies that surpass the three-hour mark tend to make headlines, The Whole Bloody Affair is coming back to give its runtime contenders a run for their money. Tarantino has revealed that his resistance to distribute the movie on any kind of notable scale has long come down to ownership rights. With the director finally owning the Kill Bill IP, he hasn’t delayed getting The Whole Bloody Affair into cinemas around the world, after only ever screening it for occasional small groups.
‘The Whole Bloody’ Affair Is Far More Than Just Combining The Two Original ‘Kill Bill’ Movies
Because Kill Bill was always supposed to be a monster of a movie, but was split into two at the last minute, each volume had to be re-edited to make sense as a semi-self-contained project. As a result, neither movie aligned with the truest sense of Tarantino’s original vision. The Whole Bloody Affair is far closer to what the movie’s writer/director wanted for it in the first place. It’s basically a time capsule, and a new audience will get to witness Kill Bill before alterations were made to the larger structure to accommodate a two-movie release.
Plus, there’s an especially exciting addition to The Whole Bloody Affair. As well as certain existing Kill Bill scenes being shuffled around, deleted scenes and alternate takes are also included, with certain elements of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 not present at all in The Whole Bloody Affair. Furthermore, the combined version of the movie also boasts an animated sequence, beefing out the runtime even further, which was already significant to begin with. In short, those considering giving The Whole Bloody Affair a miss because they’ve seen the 2000s movies countless times will be depriving themselves of new content that is set to change and enhance the saga for them.
Plus, there will be 35mm screenings as well as 75mm screenings available for moviegoers concerned with cinematic resolution. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 were originally shot on 35mm film, and as such, generally had 35mm screenings upon release. Watching The Whole Bloody Affair at a 35mm screening will keep the general feel closer to that of the original Kill Bill movies. However, the footage that’s been carried over into The Whole Bloody Affair has been converted for 70mm screenings, resulting in a higher resolution. Casual viewers may not notice much of a difference, but movie nerds will probably want to be aware of this option before buying a ticket.
‘The Whole Bloody Affair’ Finally Allows Tarantino’s 10-Movie Rule To Make Complete Sense
Tarantino has always been open about his goal of making ten movies and then retiring. For a man of such talent, this seems a shame, but if such a limit has contributed to the quality of his work, then it at least makes sense. The problem with this goal, if it can be called a problem, is that Tarantino has already made 10 movies, and yet he insists he has only made nine. The Movie Critic was supposed to be his swan song, but his decision to pull the plug on the film means he’s adamant he has one more to make before he can call it quits.
The reason for this is that he has always considered Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 to be one movie, as they combine to tell a larger story and don’t fully make sense without the other. This could, of course, be said of a lot of movies and their sequels, but Kill Bill‘s case is unique because it was never the intention for the movie to be split into two parts. Still, a Quentin Tarantino marathon would require pushing the play button on 10 individual movies, adding a strange level of dissonance to the filmmaker’s claims.
While it’s currently unconfirmed whether The Whole Bloody Affair will be available on streaming or receive a physical release after its cinematic run, the fact that Kill Bill is about to be widely available as one cohesive project validatesTarantino’s claim about it being one film. Plus, the new edit serves as redemption for Quentin Tarantino himself, who had his original vision drastically altered by circumstances he probably wanted to ignore. Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair will arrive in cinemas on Dec. 5, 2025.
- Release Date
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December 5, 2025
- Runtime
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281 Minutes
- Producers
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Bob Weinstein, E. Bennett Walsh, Harvey Weinstein, Lawrence Bender
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The Bride / Beatrix Kiddo (Black Mamba) / Mommy
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O-Ren Ishii (Cottonmouth)
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Vernita Green (Copperhead)
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Michael Madsen
Budd (Sidewinder)
