'Inglourious Basterds' Exclusive: Quentin Tarantino Rewrites History

Recently, Inglourious Basterds" tandem Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino sat down together for a truly unique conversation. MTV News is proud to be the exclusive home for this three-part chat.

On Wednesday, we found out how the duo met and how "Basterds" came to be. In part two of the conversation, they talk about the battle between today and 10 years ago, the Nazi rewrite that made Brad scratch his head and how Quentin himself nearly played Brad's character. Stay tuned Friday for part three.

On coming around to Tarantino's historical rewrite:

Quentin Tarantino: I loved it when you were on the "Charlie Rose" show talking about "Benjamin Button" and Charlie Rose goes: "So, I hear you're doing a movie about World War II." Well, it takes place during World War II, but I don't know if this is really about World War II.

Brad Pitt: To me, this is the cap on the Nazi-focused films. It's just like [the Nazi film] to end all films. Where else are you gonna go after this?

Tarantino: That's one of the things ["Basterds" star] Christoph [Waltz] said. He goes: "I think Quentin has killed the German Nazi film for all time."

Pitt: Seal it. It's done.

Tarantino: [Pitt] was very sweet when we had our big discussion about the movie, because he didn't quite know about the ending. He had questions.

Pitt: Yeah, absolutely I did. [ Laughs. ] Are you kidding me?

Tarantino: But the way he prefaced it was very funny. We eventually got to that point, so the question mark came. He goes: "So, look, I have to ask you about the ending — oh, by the way, I'm gonna do it, so don't even worry about that — but now, about this ending ... "

Pitt: Listen, I like a bit of history. I'm a bit of a history buff.

Tarantino: We don't want to say [what the ending is] out loud. But there is a point in the movie where history went this way, and we go another way.

Pitt: We do have our way with history. But I'll tell you something: What I did learn, ["Basterds"] was actually well-researched. I found Quentin far more knowledgeable about the war than I [expected]. Then, to take those leaps — since it was based in reality, there felt like great room for it. My question was about tone, really. I remember waking up about three weeks later and going, "Oh, I know what the bastard wants to do with this. I get this now. We'll have a good old time." And it is that rewarding, without spoiling the visual.

Tarantino: He showed up on set, and he goes, "You know that question I had? I've got the old-time religion on it now."

On the elaborate backstory of Aldo Raine:

Pitt: You know, Quentin wrote [Aldo] for himself. Why he handed it to me at the last minute in the game, I'm most appreciative to him.

Tarantino: [ Laughs. ] No one else is wondering why I did that, by the way.

Pitt: But for eight years, he's been honing this thing, because it's a gem. It's a gem of a part. When you get into a Quentin Tarantino movie and you get to embrace one of the characters, you soon learn that he's got backstory since the inception of the guy.

Tarantino: I love doing stuff like that. I might write big scenes or something that will never see the light of day, as far as the story's concerned. But once I write it, it's happened. It's history. I just inform it by talking to the actors about it and everything. We can't say how it happened, how the scar [on Pitt's character] came about. But he knows, and I know.

On the importance of seizing "today":

Pitt: I'll tell you what I'm most impressed about. The script was so tight and so good, and yet Quentin wasn't precious about it like I would expect going into it. Not that we changed anything, but when it got to a certain point near the end of the film and we had the luxury of shooting a sequence, he started slashing and burning his own script and redirecting things and condensing things to keep the movement. He was so light on his feet that way, especially with his own material.

Tarantino: I like that kind of stuff. I'm a very big believer in, look, I can write a scene and be precious about it. I can write a scene 10 years ago, like I did with "Chapter One" and "Chapter Two" [in this movie]. Those were written 10 years ago, and now I'm doing it. But say we go to do Brad's bit, [when Aldo is] interrogating Sergeant Rachtman, say we're shooting that on Wednesday. It doesn't matter that I wrote it 10 years ago; Wednesday is what's important. How do we feel today ? We're here today — so how do we feel about it today?

Check out everything we've got on "Inglourious Basterds."

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Paul And Chris Weitz Both Making Vampire Films Was A 'Complete Fluke'

HOLLYWOOD — Ten years ago, brothers Paul and Chris Weitz burst on the scene with "American Pie," a raunchy, out-of-nowhere hit that would define comedies — and the careers of actors like Alyson Hannigan and Seann William Scott — for years to come.

Now they're the kings of ... vampires?

These days, Chris is hard at work on November's "New Moon," while Paul is similarly slaving away on October's "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant." Both are based on wildly popular book series, involve teenage protagonists having their eyes opened to the darkness beneath their everyday existence and are envisioned as part of a multi-movie franchises.

Following up on two of the hottest new trailers to hit the Web, we visited the duo's Depth of Field production offices to speak with the older Weitz brother about their bloodsucking blockbusters, the similarities between RPattz and John C. Reilly and whether Paul will direct "Breaking Dawn."

MTV: Paul, the first question is an obvious one: What is it with you guys and vampires?

Paul Weitz: [ Laughs. ] Well, it was a complete fluke that we both have made vampire movies. But the weird thing is that our grandmother [Lupita Tovar] actually starred in the Spanish-language version of "Dracula," shot in the 1930s. It still gets played on the festival circuit — so there is a weird family vampire connection.

MTV: Wow. Is she still with us?

Weitz: Yes, she's 99. They still play the movie at different festivals and horror festivals, and she still goes sometimes.

MTV: What does she think of her two grandsons directing these vampire movies?

Weitz: I think she's really happy we have jobs. [ Laughs. ] Beyond that, she thinks it's all a hoot.

MTV: There aren't many things that people cared passionately about in 1930 and still do. What is it about vampires that makes them so fascinating to us?

Weitz: I think it's about rules being broken. In the case of "Twilight," it's a romantic rule being broken: Bella has this love that she's willing to throw everything away for, which is a big taboo nowadays. In the case of "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," it's about breaking the rules of being trapped in whatever situation you're in — the idea that you can escape. You're going to go through suffering and hardship, but you can become your own person by having your own definition of what right and wrong is.

MTV: Your movie stars John C. Reilly as a 200-year-old vampire who takes these teens away from their humdrum high school lives. Will your film do for him what "Twilight" did for Robert Pattinson?

Weitz: Yeah, John C. Reilly has a different feel from Robert Pattinson's Edward. [ Laughs. ] But I can see a lot of shirtless photo spreads for John after this movie.

MTV: You and Chris share your production offices and offer each other endless support. Do you ever catch your films bleeding into one another?

Weitz: I wish I could've stolen some stuff from Chris' outtakes on "Twilight"! But no, we see each other's stuff and try to be supportive of each other, and I think it's a kick for both of us that we're directing [these movies].

MTV: There were rumors for a little while that you might come onboard eventually for a "Twilight" sequel. Any truth to that?

Weitz: No. I am kind of vampired out for the moment. They got a wonderful director for that.

MTV: Well, "Eclipse" is taken. But there's no "Breaking Dawn" director yet. Would you be interested?

Weitz: I think they could do much better than me for "Breaking Dawn." I would make it too weird.

MTV: Really? Have you read "Breaking Dawn"? It's a pretty weird book.

Weitz: I'm sure they're going to get somebody really wonderful for it. Maybe they'll get Chris to come back to do number four. I'll throw another rumor out there. [ Laughs. ] Why not?

Check out everything we've got on "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" and "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'New Moon' Brings Wolf Pack Together To ... Eat Muffins?

LOS ANGELES — If there's one thing Twilighters are hungry for these days, it's beefcake. For proof, look no further than the latest "New Moon" trailer, which features Taylor Lautner, Kiowa Gordon and their wolf pack buddies without shirts on. But according to the duo, there's a different, top-secret treat fans should be looking forward to when the film hits theaters in November: muffins.

"I call it 'the muffin scene,' " revealed Gordon, who plays Jacob Black's friend Embry Call in the flick. "We all gather around at Emily's house — she's Sam, the big pack leader's, fiancйe — and we all just gather around and eat muffins and talk about stuff."

As those who have read the Stephenie Meyer novels know, this inserted scene is rife with dramatic and humorous possibilities. At some point in the saga, Sam Uley imprints on Emily — the second cousin of high school sweetheart Leah Clearwater — leaving Leah more than a tad bitter. The scene takes place on the La Push reservation, with many of the key Quileute characters interacting while they partake in their bountiful breakfast. But why muffins?

"We like muffins," Gordon said, revealing that the Quileute wolves have a taste for more than vampire flesh.

"The muffin scene?" Taylor Lautner grinned when we told him of Gordon's comments. "I didn't have the pleasure to enjoy any muffins.

"When they were eating their funny little muffins, I was standing in the back, all pissed off," Lautner said of the scene, which depicts Jacob as not being too thrilled with the whole imprinting/ turning-into-a-wolf drama. "So I just got to watch them eat their muffins."

According to the buff, 17-year-old star, Jacob will spend much of "New Moon" in a mood that not even a tasty pastry could cure. "He's a little upset. He's pissed off a lot in this movie, for many different reasons," Lautner explained. "Maybe because he just transformed into a werewolf. But he's a little grumpy at that moment. So I just watched them eat their muffins."

An intense Taylor? The news might be shocking for those die-hard fans who have come to know and love the actor as a happy-go-lucky guy. But according to Lautner, he can put on his game face when he needs to.

"Oh," he promised with a wicked grin, "I can turn it on and off."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

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Official 'Twilight' Fan Conventions Launched By Studio

Following the success of this year's TwiCon convention devoted to Stephenie Meyer's vampire saga, Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the "Twilight" films, has launched its own series of official fan-focused events.

Partnering with Creation Entertainment, the studio will stage 20 events across North America over the next three years, according to a press release published on the fan site TwilightLexicon.com. The first convention took place last weekend in Phoenix. Events in the next few months will take place in New Jersey, Chicago and Vancouver, where the franchise's cast is currently gathered to shoot "Eclipse," the third film in the saga.

The conventions promise to offer appearances by "Twilight" castmembers, exclusive screenings, panel discussions, parties, auctions and musical performances. Gatherings in 2010 will be held in cities including Miami, Seattle, Atlanta, Nashville and again in Vancouver.

The yearly TwiCon convention will continue next year, though it remains to be seen if the gathering can repeat this year's success now that Summit is officially sponsoring its own events. The 2009 convention in Dallas brought out "Twilight" stars Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz and others.

Chaske Spencer and Christian Serratos, who play Sam Uley and Angela Weber, respectively, showed up at the Summit-sponsored event in Phoenix. Lutz had to cancel his appearance because of rehearsals for "Eclipse" in Vancouver. The New Jersey convention in late August has tentatively announced that Rathbone, Lutz, Ashley Greene and Billy Burke, among others, will appear, pending availability.

"Eclipse" is expected to film through October and will wrap up before the release of "New Moon," the second film in the saga, on November 20. "Eclipse" is set for a late June 2010 release, shortly after a Summit-sponsored convention in Chicago.

Check out everything we've got on "Twilight."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock &#8212 visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Inglourious Basterds' Stars Tell Tarantino's Secrets

BEVERLY HILLS, California — By now, you know that Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" is in theaters on Friday. You know it's got Nazi killers, scalpings galore and dialogue cooler than Freddie Jackson sipping a milkshake in a snowstorm. But where does it take Quentin's unique universe?

For the answer to that question, we went straight to the stars to get the scoop on Tarantino's unique filmmaking ways — past, present and future.

The Foot Thing — Hey, whatever Quentin is into is the dude's own business. But when you think about all those lingering foot shots of Uma Thurman ("Kill Bill" and "Pulp Fiction"), Bridget Fonda ("Jackie Brown") and the girls of "Death Proof," coupled with John Travolta's foot-massage speech in "Pulp Fiction" and QT's own appearance as a foot judge on "The Tyra Banks Show," the evidence is pretty overwhelming. "You know what? A journalist told me about the foot thing and it's funny, I didn't know about it," laughed Diane Kruger, whose right foot plays a major part in her character's "Basterds" fate. "And then he said, 'You didn't know? Don't you have a foot scene in the movie?' And I said, 'I actually do, that's so weird.' So the day [we were going to shoot the scene], I went to him and said, 'So you're excited, it's the foot scene today!' And he said, 'Oh, that's not true, it's all made up!' I was like, 'OK.' " Ultimately, however, Kruger said she didn't mind. "Six close-ups later," she laughed, "my foot has never looked prettier than that day."

Quentin's Cary Grant? — Although Tarantino is known for bringing fallen stars back to prominence (Travolta, Pam Grier, Harvey Keitel), "Basterds" is the first time he's directed an actor at the top of Hollywood's heap. For the film fanatic, it's a throwback to the great actor/auteur collaborations of yesteryear. "At different times when I was making the movie, I was looking through the viewfinder at him and I was like, 'God, this is what Sydney Pollack must've felt doing "Jeremiah Johnson" with Robert Redford,' " Tarantino marveled, saying he wants to keep working with Pitt. "It was cool to work with a big movie star. Most of my favorite directors from the golden age of Hollywood, they worked with Cary Grant, they worked with James Cagney, John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich [regularly] — they worked with all these great stars. It was about time to throw my hat in that ring, as far as Hollywood history was concerned."

Big Jerry — During a long, arduous day on set, one of the challenges is trying to keep all your hardworking people awake. To help with this — and give everyone a good laugh — Tarantino employs a nefarious, NC-17 toy. "Yeah, Big Jerry ... there's an infamous hall of shame for whoever does fall asleep," Kruger remembered of the enormous, um, sexual instrument photographed with snoozing stars of Tarantino's films. The photos are then posted on the set for everyone to see. "There's never a dull day."

What Took So Long? — As die-hard Tarantino fans know, "Basterds" has been his great white whale for the better part of a decade. Although the film doesn't contain such long-ago-rumored collaborators as Adam Sandler and Sylvester Stallone, it does have the unique Hollywood trait that all his movies share: thoughtful precision. "Quentin — he's so careful about everything he does," Tarantino's friend/ fellow filmmaker/ star Eli Roth explained. "Quentin lives life in between movies, and he takes his time. For 'Kill Bill,' he spent a year and a half writing one fight scene! And with 'Inglourious Basterds,' he had written it over the course of eight years. He thinks about every character, and he thinks about every detail in the universe — there are very few directors that do that."

Check out everything we've got on "Inglourious Basterds."

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'Eclipse' Actress Jodelle Ferland Is On Team Edward

Ah, the "Twilight" rumor mill. Are Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart really a couple? There's not actually going to be a "New Moon" nude scene starring Jamie Campbell Bower, is there? And who exactly will new castmember Jodelle Ferland play when she makes her debut next year in "Eclipse," the third of the vampire franchise's movies?

That first question apparently remains an open, hot-blooded debate. And no, Bower will not be showing off a "full-body shot," as he joked with MTV News last month. But which character will Ferland portray? The Internet is rampant with speculation that she's set to become the vampire Bree, though neither Ferland nor studio Summit Entertainment will reveal the answer.

"I'm allowed to tell people that I play a vampire who has just been turned," Ferland told E! Online. "In other words, I'm a newborn vampire. I'm not allowed to say the name of the character."

OK, she won't name names, but the 14-year-old actress had no problem choosing between Pattinson's Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, the werewolf played by Taylor Lautner: Ferland is most definitely on Team Edward.

"I just think if Jacob had been introduced first, then everybody would like him better," she said. "It just seems that since Edward was the first one to be with Bella, people want him to stay with her. So, you know, that's the character that you start to like first! And then Jacob comes into the picture and everybody's like, 'Oh, no! Stay with Edward.' "

With "Eclipse" filming in Vancouver, Ferland should be spending ample time on set with Pattinson, a prospect that has her — and her friends — "really, really excited."

"Every single person I've told has asked me if they could come to the set," the Canadian-born teenager said. "I've said, 'I'll have to think about that.' "

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

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Kim Basinger In Talks To Play Zac Efron's Mom

Kim Basinger is in talks to join Zac Efron in "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud." And, according to Variety, if negotiations work out Basinger will be playing Efron's mother.

In the film, Efron's character is a cemetery caretaker who has weekly meetings with his younger brother, who died years earlier. Basinger would play the grieving mom. Amanda Crew, who joined the cast late last month, plays Efron's love interest, who is believed to be lost in a sailing accident.

The film is being helmed by Efron's "17 Again" director, Burr Steers, whose credits also include "Igby Goes Down." In order to make the film, Efron passed on the "Footloose" remake — his role went to "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford. Efron has expressed a desire to make more serious-minded films and move away from teen fare.

"I'm very excited about the future and trying new things and the unknown," he told MTV News back in April. "Not that I'm done with musicals in any way, but I feel like I've made somewhat of a mark there, and I'd like to try new things before going back to my safe place."

As for roles like his in "St.Cloud," he said, "I'm not doing anything to drastically to try and change up my image. But I do need to keep things interesting for myself. And grow up. ... I still make very family-friendly films. I'm not involved with the next 'Trainspotting' sequel or anything like that."

Check out everything we've got on "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud."

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