Martin Scorsese shares his thoughts on Quentin Tarantino's plan to retire after 10 movies

Quentin Tarantino has long declared his intention to retire after directing his tenth feature film, The Movie Critic. This decision is driven by his desire to leave behind a "meticulously curated filmography". Recently, Killers of the Flower Moon filmmaker Martin Scorsese shared his perspective on Quentin Tarantino's impending retirement.

Martin Scorsese on Tarantino's retirement plans

In an interview with the Associated Press, Martin Scorsese said that he is uncertain about Quentin Tarantino's retirement plans as their approaches to filmmaking differ significantly. He shared that Tarantino is primarily a writer, whereas he himself is more attracted to stories through various means.

The 80-year-old filmmaker attributed his longevity in the industry to an "insatiable curiosity". Scorsese explained that his creative process is rooted in his ever-present curiosity about different subjects. This curiosity propels him to explore and bring those stories to life on film. He added that, unlike Tarantino's writer-centric approach, Scorsese's journey as a director is marked by his curiosity, which fuels his desire to keep making films.

"He’s a writer, It’s a different thing. I come up with stories. I get attracted to stories through other people. All different means, different ways. And so I think it’s a different process…I respect writers and I wish I could. I wish I could just be in a room and create these novels, not films, novels," Scorsese said. He continued, "I'm curious about everything still. That’s one of the things. If I’m curious about something I think I’ll find a way. If I hold out and hold up, I’ll find a way to try to make something of it on film, but I have to be curious about the subject. My curiosity is still there. I couldn’t speak for Quentin Tarantino or others who are able to create this work in their world." 
 

When Christopher Nolan revealed if he would follow Tarantino's footsteps

Christopher Nolan also weighed in on the ongoing discussion of retirement. In a July 2023 interview with ReelBlend, the Oppenheimer director revealed whether he’ll take Quentin Tarantino or Martin Scorsese’s career path. He said that he understands both the filmmaker's perspectives. Nolan acknowledges the addictive nature of storytelling in cinema, describing it as a passion that can be difficult to "voluntarily relinquish". He added how Tarantino believes that, in later years, if a filmmaker's work cannot live up to their heyday, it might be better for it not to exist at all.

"The truth is, I understand both points of view. But I also see… Quentin’s point has always been that — and he never, very graciously, he’s never specific about the films he’s talking about or whatever — but he’s looking at some of the work done by filmmakers in later years and feeling that if it can’t live up to the heyday, it would be better if it didn’t exist. That’s a very purist point of view. It’s the point of view of a cinephile who prizes film history," Nolan said.