| Controversial
director Quentin Tarantino's take on World War II will hit movie
theaters on August 21 2009, the studios behind the highly-anticipated
film called "Inglourious Basterds" said on Wednesday.
Tarantino
often takes a long time between projects. His last movie was
a 2007 combined feature called "Grindhouse" made
with director Robert Rodriguez, but he has not single-handedly
directed a film since the 2004 "Kill Bill: Vol. 2."
The director's
oddly spelled World War II epic "Inglourious Basterds"
stars actor Brad Pitt, and production began in Europe in October.
Pitt plays
a U.S. army lieutenant leading a group of soldiers operating
behind Nazi lines, terrorizing the enemy.
"Inglourious
Basterds" reportedly borrows from Spaghetti Westerns,
the mostly Italian-made films of the 1960s and '70s that combine
brutal violence and lyrical, fairytale-like qualities in a
different take on Hollywood cowboy movies.
The film
was inspired by the 1978 World War II movie "Quel maledetto
treno blindato," also called "The Inglorious Bastards,"
from Italian director Enzo Castellari.
The August
21 release date of "Inglourious Basterds" is for
the U.S. and Canada, and dates remain undetermined for its
international release, said The Weinstein Company and Universal
Pictures, which are jointly presenting the film.
Tarantino,
who won an Oscar for his 1994 "Pulp Fiction" movie
script, made the martial arts epics "Kill Bill: Vol.
1" (2003) and "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" (2004). The
first film made $181 million worldwide and the sequel grossed
$152 million, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.
Critics
say Tarantino's films trivialize and stylize violence, but
the director has a devoted fan base and has received numerous
awards, including the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival
for "Pulp Fiction."
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