Quentin Tarantino’s 1969 Manson Murders Movie Has a Release Date

Quentin Tarantino’s next movie doesn’t have a cast, nor does it have a title, but it does, at the very least, have a release date. Variety reports that the Reservoir Dogs director’s ninth film will open in theaters on Aug. 9, 2019. That date, horrifyingly enough, is the 50th anniversary of actress Sharon Tate’s murder at the hands of the Manson Family, as Deadline points out. Yikes.

The film, acquired by Sony Pictures in mid-November after a three-way bidding war between Sony, Warner Bros. and Paramount, recently received the following unofficial plot synopsis:

Set in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969, Tarantino’s upcoming movie, according to a source who read the script, focuses on a male TV actor who’s had one hit series and is looking for a way to get into the film business. His sidekick—who’s also his stunt double—is looking for the same thing. The horrific murder of Sharon Tate and four of her friends by Charles Manson’s cult of followers serves as a backdrop to the main story.

This summary, along with recent comments made by Tarantino himself, clarify that the film is not so much “a Manson murders movie,” as it was described in initial reports—“It’s not Charles Manson, it’s 1969,” the director explained. Variety adds that the film “[is] not a biopic, but is an ensemble film set during the tumultuous time period” of the late ‘60s.

Tarantino’s ninth film will be the first that he releases without the help of the Weinstein Company, which is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy after a tidal wave of sexual misconduct allegations made against founder Harvey Weinstein. Reports have repeatedly indicated that Tarantino is working on assembling an all-star cast, as the director continues to court the likes of Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie to star.

Production on Tarantino’s untitled film is set to begin next year.