ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

Simu Liu Slams Tarantino Over ‘Marvel-ization of Hollywood’ Comments

Whether or not Tarantino is correct, he will still always be the man who once pitched an R-rated ‘Star Trek’ film to Paramount—barring him from insulting the current IP obsession.

Quentin Tarantino is declaring the age of the movie star over—but not if Simu Liu has anything to say about it. The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor struck back at recent comments Tarantino made criticizing the “Marvel-ization of Hollywood,” saying that he was “proud” of his work with the mega-studio. “If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and Scorsese, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie,” Liu tweeted on Tuesday. “I am in awe of their filmmaking genius. They are transcendent auteurs. But they don't get to point their nose at me or anyone.” His remarks come on the heels of a Monday podcast interview that Tarantino gave, lashing out at the IP-over-talent mindset currently dominating the industry. “Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is…you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” Tarantino said on 2 Bears, 1 Cave. “But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star… It’s these franchise characters that become a star.”