David Fincher scrapped 60 pages of Quentin Tarantino's original The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth script.
The Fight Club director will be at the helm of the upcoming Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood sequel, which will see Brad Pitt reprise the title role, and he has revealed he made some changes to streamline the screenplay penned by the iconic filmmaker.
Speaking alongside Tarantino for a joint interview, Fincher told Empire magazine: "The first draft I read was 230 pages. It was essentially two movies."
The director cut 60 pages, with the finished movie clocking in at around two hours and 20 minutes.
He added: Somewhere in there was the Venn diagram of what Brad wanted to do, what I want to do, what Quentin wanted to do. Not ‘want to do,’ but the areas we would focus on.”
For Fincher, who was chosen by Tarantino to direct the flick, he was intrigued by "the idea that it’s a story around a bonfire".
He explained: “It wasn’t about the plot as much as it was about how the participants collided with one another in the back alleys of Hollywood in 1977."
However, Tarantino admitted he saw things differently.
He said: “I don’t think of it as a hangout movie at all. Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood was a hangout movie, but you know you’re going to [the site of the Charles Manson murders]. It has this force, thus I didn’t need a lot of plot.
"This script was very different. To me, it had the flavor of an Elmore Leonard paperback: a crime-story paperback feel.”
Tarantino previously explained that while he loves the story he has written, he wasn't interested in revisiting old characters when it comes to making what will be his 10th and final film.
Speaking on The Church of Tarantino podcast, he said: "I love this script, but I’m still walking down the same ground I’ve already walked.
“It just kind of unenthused me. This last movie, I’ve got to not know what I’m doing again. I’ve got to be in uncharted territory."
And Tarantino felt honoured that Fincher was keen to step up and direct Pitt in the title role.
He added: “I think me and David Fincher are the two best directors. So the idea that David Fincher actually wants to adapt my work, to me, shows a level of seriousness towards my work that I think needs to be taken into account.”
In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, fading actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his loyal stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) struggle to stay relevant in a rapidly changing movie industry.
As their fortunes shift, they cross paths with rising star Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and the looming threat of the Manson Family.
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth will have a two-week Imax release around the world from November 25, before arriving on Netflix on December 23.