Quentin Tarantino isn't waiting for the movie to catch up to the story. Before Brad Pitt and David Fincher's "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth" even lands on a streaming queue, readers get their own version straight from Tarantino's desk.

The book, titled "The Adventures of Cliff Booth," arrives December 8 through HarperCollins, according to Variety and JoBlo. That's two weeks after the film opens in IMAX on November 25, and more than two weeks before it hits Netflix on December 23. Tarantino did the same thing with his 2019 feature "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," publishing a novelization ahead of that release too.

Worth noticing: the book drops the "Further Mis-" from the film's title. Neither outlet explains why, and Tarantino hasn't said either.

Set in 1977, eight years on from the Manson-era backdrop of the first film, the story follows Pitt's Cliff Booth scraping by on odd work. The novel's logline, quoted by both outlets, reads: "The Swinging Sixties are long gone — but Clifford Booth keeps on keeping on…War hero, stuntman, bartender, cinema projectionist…with the occasional 'clandestine services' for his friends…"

Fincher is directing off a script Tarantino wrote himself. Sony's original film cleared $400 million worldwide on a $90 million budget and picked up ten Oscar nominations, winning two. Netflix is bankrolling the sequel at a reported $200 million production cost.

Here's the part that surprised people. Tarantino wrote this script meaning it to be his tenth and final film. He backed out. On "The Church of Tarantino" podcast last year, he said the material felt too familiar to close a career on. "I love this script, but I'm still walking down the same ground I've already walked," he said. "This last movie, I've got to not know what I'm doing again. I've got to be in uncharted territory."

Pitt, keen to keep the character alive, reportedly asked if someone else could take over directing duties. Tarantino agreed, on condition he approved the choice. Fincher got the nod quickly.

The cast around Pitt includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan and Carla Gugino, per JoBlo's reporting.

As for Tarantino's actual tenth and final film, that's still an open question. JoBlo notes he's currently attached to a stage production, "The Popinjay Cavalier," with Sacha Baron Cohen now signed to star. Whether that becomes the retirement picture or something else turns up first, nobody's confirmed.

Mark the calendar anyway: November 25 for IMAX, December 8 for the novel, December 23 for Netflix.