According to a new report, Quentin Tarantino offered the lead role in his final film, The Movie Critic, to a recent Emmy nominee, Black Bird star Paul Walter Hauser.

Hollywood scooper Daniel Richtman (Patreon subscription required) is reporting that Tarantino offered the lead role of The Movie Critic to Hauser. The actor is coming off an Emmy-nominated performance in Apple TV+'s Black Bird.

Previously, Tarantino had compared the main character from The Movie Critic to Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro). Given Hauser's unhinged performance in Black Bird, this could be a perfect fit.

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Paul Walter Hauser has risen to fame in recent years. Earlier in his career, he had supporting roles in a ton of awards players. This includes I, Tonya, BlacKKKlansman, Late Night, and Da 5 Bloods. His breakthrough came in Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell — in which he played the titular role. He would go on to star in Cruella with Emma Stone in 2021.

In 2022, Hauser starred in Black Bird. The Apple TV+ miniseries adapted the James Keene (with Hillel Levin) autobiographical novel, In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption. Hauser played Larry Hall, a convicted serial killer, and starred alongside Taron Egerton and the late Ray Liotta.

Quentin Tarantino is one of the most acclaimed directors of all time. Known for the likes of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Kill Bill, he is getting ready to wind down his feature filmmaking career. His last film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, received critical acclaim and was nominated for 10 Oscars.