Quentin Tarantino Refuses To Recut Once Upon A Time In Hollywood To Meet Chinese Regulations

According to a report from NBC News, Quentin Tarantino confirmed that he won’t be re-cutting Once Upon A Time In Hollywood following reports that the Chinese regulators wanted the film edited to meet their standards.

China pulled the movie from theaters one week before it was supposed to be released on Friday. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news last week. Thus far, and as usual, the Chinese regulators have refused to give a reason or explanation for their decision.

However, sources who spoke with THR claimed that it largely was related to the characterization of Bruce Lee as an arrogant buffoon. Previously, Lee’s daughter, Shannon, accused the director of using old racist Asian-American tropes to tarnish her father’s legacy.

Critics of the successful film claimed Quentin had exploited Bruce’s legacy by making him look like a fool, purely for the sake of perpetuating the film’s story. Speaking with The Wrap, Shannon Lee said shortly after the film’s release that it was “really uncomfortable” to watch the movie while people laughed at Mike Moh’s portrayal of her dad.

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Rather than apologizing to Shannon, however, Quentin doubled down and claimed Bruce was “kind of an arrogant guy,” during a press conference in Moscow, Russia. In an interview with Variety, Shannon again fired back by demanding Tarantino to “shut up.”

While many in the press have hailed Quentin for his decision not to edit Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, he did allow for Chinese regulators to cut parts of his 2012 movie starring Jamie Foxx, Django Unchained.

Despite their best efforts, the film subsequently flopped in the nation after the studios cut out several violent scenes. Earlier this month, the issue of Chinese censorship came out again when the GM of Daryl Morey supported the pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong.

However, he later walked back on that tweet, but it was too late, as the Houston Rockets cut ties with them. Morey’s tweet led to a social media debate about the value of free speech as well as his obligation to the interests of the team.