Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’s upcoming release in China has reportedly been pulled at the last minute.
The Quentin Tarantino-directed movie, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, had originally been approved for release in China on 25 October.
But now, regulators have apparently reversed this decision at the last minute, with the movie’s local release date now on indefinite hold, according to sources from The Hollywood Reporter.
The decision to pull the movie from its planned release date had allegedly stemmed from the controversial portrayal of the late Bruce Lee by actor Mike Moh.
Bruce’s family and friends had previously criticised Quentin for his depiction of the martial arts icon, claiming that Mike’s portrayal in the movie was far from accurate as to how Bruce behaved during his lifetime.
Shannon Lee, the daughter of Bruce, had made a direct appeal to China’s National Film Administration, according to sources close to Bona and China’s Film Bureau.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood would have been Quentin’s first proper release in China – his 2012 Western, Django Unchained, almost made it close to a proper theatrical rollout in the country, before being pulled from cinemas just minutes into its opening night.
It was never confirmed as to why the movie was suddenly pulled from the country, but sources at the time claimed a senior Communist Party official had taken issue to the film’s violent content.
