Hollywood lost a legend inBurt Reynoldsas the actor passed away earlier this week at the age of 82. Reynolds had continued to work right up to his passing and was cast in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming movieOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodin a key role. It wasn’t initially made clear if the actor had already completed his part in the upcoming period drama but unfortunately, we now have word that Reynolds hadn’t yet filmed his scenes.
Burt Reynolds had been scheduled to film his scenes forOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodin the coming weeks. The movie has been in production for weeks now and with the massive ensemble cast thatQuentin Tarantinohas assembled for his latest, it’s surely been a difficult balancing act dealing with everyone’s schedules and availability. According to Reynolds' niece Nancy Lee Hess, he had been very much looking forward to working on the movie. Hess had this to say in a brief statement.
“My uncle was looking forward to working with Quentin Tarantino, and the amazing cast that was assembled.”
Once Upon a Time in Hollywoodtakes place in Los Angeles During 1969. It centers on Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, who play a former TV star and his stuntman respectively, trying to navigate the new Hollywood landscape. Charles Manson and his followers will play a role in the movie, with Damon Herriman on board to play the famous murderer. Burt Reynolds,before his death, was set to play the part of George Spahn, who owned the ranch where Manson and his “family” lived.
This would have been a veryfitting final role for a legend such as Burt Reynolds. During his long career, he starred in such hits asSmokey and the Bandit,DeliveranceandCannonball Run. He earned an Oscar nomination for his work in Paul Thomas Anderson’sBoogie Nightsand earned praise for his work in last year’s A24 releaseThe Last Movie Star. Quentin Tarantino is a man who knows how to get the most out of his actors and would surely have brought the best out of Reynolds, even if he was only going to be in the movie briefly.
Some of the other cast members in the impressive ensemble include Lena Dunham, Maya Hawke, Timothy Olyphant, Damian Lewis, Luke Perry, Dakota Fanning, James Marsden, Clifton Collins, Emile Hirsch, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Scoot McNairy, Al Pacino and Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate. There is no word at the present time as to what Quentin Tarantino will do, be it to recast the role or ax the part altogether now that Burt Reynolds can’t be the one to do it. With filming well underway, if the part is going to be recast, we should be hearing word on who will be filling those shoes in the very near future. This news was first reported byThe Hollywood Reporter.
