Quentin Tarantino is returning to the TCL Chinese Theatre — not for a premiere, but for a conversation. The filmmaker will sit down at AFI Fest 2026 on Friday, October 23, for a screening of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, followed by a live talk. It’s his first public appearance in Los Angeles since the film’s release, and the timing couldn’t be sharper: David Fincher’s The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, starring Brad Pitt reprising his role as the stuntman, hits Netflix on November 25. Expect questions about continuity, legacy, and whether the next chapter will live up to the original’s fever-dream energy. The event is part of AFI Fest’s 40th anniversary run, which runs from October 21 to 25 and includes over 150 films across the TCL Chinese Theatres. The festival opens with Wildwood and closes with Being Heumann. Meanwhile, Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, set in 1973 Chile and starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, gets a rare 35mm screening at The Alex Theatre on November 5 and 12 before its nationwide release on November 6. And in a move that signals deeper roots in New York’s creative ecosystem, Proof Inc. Has launched its first East Coast studio, with Ari Aster’s next feature as the inaugural project. Ron Frankel, founder and CEO, calls it a full-circle moment, he began his career in Manhattan’s early digital animation scene. The new office joins existing studios in LA, London, and Australia. Back in the UK, Tarantino’s West End debut is now locked in: The Popinjay Cavalier, a play written by him and produced by Sony Pictures and Sonia Friedman Productions, will open at London’s Phoenix Theatre on March 18, 2027, with previews starting February 23. Sacha Baron Cohen is set to star. Also this month, Tarantino will release a novel titled The Adventures of Cliff Booth through Harper. All roads lead back to Hollywood. Or rather, to where they began.