This fall marks the 15th Anniversary of director Quentin Tarantino’sKill Bill, which under normal circumstances, would likely be the perfect platform to discuss the long-awaitedKill Bill: Vol. 3, which has been rumored for years. Over the weekend, starUma Thurmancame forward with a rather shocking expose detailing how she was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein in 1994, and how she was involved in a rather horrific car crash on the set ofKill Bill, which was released as two parts but shot as one big movie. With the actress coming forward against her director and producer now, any chance ofKill Bill Vol. 3has seemingly been eradicated.
Uma Thurman revealed in her New York Times piece that she felt uncomfortable about performing a driving stunt with a car she thought was unsafe, with the actress calling the car a “deathbox” since the seat wasn’t screwed down properly. She was supposed to drive at least 40 miles per hour so her hair would “blow the right way,” and she had to drive this car down a windy and sandy road. Tarantino ultimately convinced her to perform the stunt, which resulted in a serious car accident on the set that was kept secret for many years. After that, Uma Thurman accused the director of trying to kill her, which lead to a “fight” between the two that has ultimately lasted for years. The actress also accused the director of trying to get inside her head for the rest of the shoot, with the director spitting in her face during a scene that called for The Bride to be spat upon.
The originalKill Billfollowed Uma Thurman as a character known only as The Bride, who finally wakes up from her coma and sets out on a mission to kill her boss, Bill, and the assassins in his employ, known as the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, for trying to kill her and her unborn child. The first person The Bride visits is Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), who is now a suburban housewife with a young daughter, Nikki. The Bride and Vernita engage in a knife fight before they’re interrupted by Nikki, and while they agree to settle this later that night, Vernita tries to surprise The Bride with a gun hidden in a cereal box, but The Bride gets the best of her and throws a knife into Vernita’s chest, killing her. The Bride tells young Nikki that if she wants vengeance for her mother’s death when she gets older, she’ll be waiting.Kill Bill Vol. 3would have taken place several years later with Nikki tracking down The Bride, whose name was later revealed to be Beatrix Kiddo. The last we heard aboutKill Bill 3was in December 2015, when directorQuentin Tarantinostated that he wouldn’t be surprised ifThe Bridereturned.
“I’ve been very non-committal about it. I’m not committing to it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if The Bride made one more appearance before the whole thing is said and done. I am talking to Uma (Thurman) about it just a little bit. Some of the stuff that I’d written that never made it into the movie that maybe I could use. I’m thinking now, 13 years later, what would be going on with Sofie Fatale? What would be going on with Elle Driver? The thing that does attract me to the idea, and I wasn’t that attracted to it before, because I felt I said what I had to say, and I kind of liked the idea of Beatrix Kiddo living out the rest of her life in peace, to some some degree, I thinkKill Billis my most visionary movie. Not necessarily saying how good it is, but I think it’s a very vision-oriented movie, and I create this world that doesn’t exist. On planes, there’s holders for your samurai sword. SinceKill Bill, my work has veered more towards the literary, and perhaps less on the visual, to one degree or another. I think, maybe a good helping of viscera would be a nice thing to happen, at least at some point in my future.”
Ever sinceKill Billwas released, Uma Thurman has never worked with Quentin Tarantino again, and after opening up about herTarantino fightwith her piece in The New York Times over the weekend, it’s clear that a future collaboration is not going to happen. Back in October, when the allegations against Harvey Weinstein were first brought to light, Uma Thurman said she wouldn’t comment on the allegations at that particular time, because she was too angry, adding a month later in a Thanksgiving message that she’s glad it’s “going slow” for Harvey, and that he “doesn’t deserve a bullet.” After the revelations she uncovered over the weekend, it’s clear to see why the actress wanted to take her time to tell her story.
While Uma Thurman hasn’t worked with Quentin Tarantino sinceKill Bill, she does star inThe War With Grandpa, which is being distributed by Harvey Weinstein’s former company TWC-Dimension, although neither Harvey Weinstein nor his brother Bob Weinstein are listed as producers. The movie was originally slated for release on February 23, but it was one of three 2018 movies that TWC-Dimension removed from its slate, along withThe Upside(March 9) andMary Magdalene(March 30), with rumors of an impending sale of the company swirling. While Uma Thurman never out-right says she won’t be makingKill Bill 3in herNew York Timespiece, it’s not surprising that she has never worked with Quentin Tarantino sinceKill Bill.
