Quentin Tarantino Already Hoarding Outtakes For Basterds Prequel

Quentin Tarantino yesterday cleared up some of the confusion around the elastic running time of Inglorious Basterds, telling Variety's Michael Fleming that his finished version of the film is actually one minute longer than the tuchus-testing epic that screened last May at Cannes. Still, the director notes, he made some hard decisions in the editing room that required consolation -- most of which comes from looking forward to a prequel. That extra footage has to go somewhere, right?

Fleming specifically refers to scenes that didn't make the cut from script to scene, though Tarantino claims to have shot them anyway. Among them: The semi-origin story of Eli Roth's bat-wielding Nazi killer Donnie Donowitz, who, before heading to war, gets his elderly Boston neighbor to sign his weapon with the names of Jewish relatives threatened by the Holocaust. That's in the can and ready for anything, as are Roth and Brad Pitt themselves, apparently:

BFD: Do you have enough enthusiasm left for a prequel?

Tarantino: Oh, yeah, I definitely do. I've written the first half already. I'd have to finish it, get the Basterds back together, and insert a whole other group of characters, these black troops that come across the Basterds.

BFD: Are the Basterds game?

Tarantino: All through the movie, Brad Pitt and Eli Roth just kept saying, "Prequel. Prequel." Brad would say, "Let's talk him into doing a prequel." The guys love the idea. I've got the storyline. Then again, I was going to do all these animated prequels to Kill Bill. I didn't end up doing any of those.

Well, Pitt does have some time on his hands these days, and we already know one of the world's most influential critics will be behind it. And assuming Basterds will be a hit, funding might be just around the corner. Stay positive, QT -- I like your chances.

· Quentin Tarantino Q&A [BFDealmemo]