Quentin Tarantino’s rarely-seen, single-film version of his martial arts revenge saga, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, is set to be released nationwide in theaters for the first time on Dec. 5, 2025, distributor Lionsgate announced.

The unified epic, which combines Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2 into one unrated film, will include a new, never-before-seen 7 1/2-minute animated sequence. This special presentation removes the cliffhanger ending from the first volume and the recap that opened the second.

Tarantino, who wrote and directed the film, emphasized the importance of seeing the combined work on the big screen.

“I wrote and directed it as one movie—and I’m so glad to give the fans the chance to see it as one movie,” Tarantino said. “The best way to see Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is at a movie theater in Glorious 70mm or 35mm. Blood and guts on a big screen in all its glory!”

Select presentations of the film are anticipated to screen in 70mm and 35mm in all major markets.

The film stars Uma Thurman as The Bride, who awakens from a coma four years after her former boss and lover, Bill, ambushes her wedding rehearsal, shoots her in the head, and steals her unborn child. The story follows her quest to hunt down Bill and the four remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.

Lionsgate, which manages library distribution rights for a large portfolio of Tarantino films, will handle the release. The studio’s Tarantino collection also includes Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, and Death Proof.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair also stars Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, Michael Parks, and David Carradine as Bill. The film is produced by Lawrence Bender.

Unless you’re an authority on all things Quentin Tarantino, you may not know that Victor Vega, Michael Madsen’s “Mr. Blonde” in Reservoir Dogs, and John Travolta’s Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, are actually brothers. 

Not only that, but The Hollywood Reporter notes that according to Madsen, Tarantino planned to make a movie focused on those characters at one point:

In 1994’s Pulp Fiction, John Travolta played Vincent Vega, a role that helped revitalize his career. The criminal brothers were shot to death in their respective films. Tarantino discussed the brothers project, which was to be a prequel, a number of times with the duo, Madsen told THR.

“We were supposed to be in Amsterdam, criminally,” says Madsen of Tarantino’s thoughts. “The picture was going to start out with the two of us being released from prison in different states. And we open up a club in Amsterdam.” In Pulp Fiction, Vincent Vega says he just returned to Los Angeles from Amsterdam.

Tarantino waited too long to do a prequel, though. Madsen and Travolta basically aged out of playing younger versions of themselves. That doesn’t mean the director gave up entirely on the idea, though.

https://vimeo.com/252166157″ tml-render-layout=”inline

The director had an alternate idea in which “it would be the twin brothers of Vic and Vincent, who met after the deaths of their siblings,” Madsen tells THR. 

“It was very complicated, but when Quentin starts discussing an idea, it’s very easy to go along with it.”

Madsen and Travolta did finally star in a film together, the little-known 2019 racing movie Trading Paint. The former “Mr. Blonde” tells THR he “walked up to John and he goes, ‘I thought you were dead.’ And I looked over at him and I said, ‘Well, I thought you were dead.'” And… scene.  

A fan made the first video above of a Vega Brothers trailer using footage from Madsen’s and Travolta’s films. Sadly, it looks like the real thing just won’t happen, though, save in the imaginations and home editing software of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs superfans. 

Quentin Tarantino’s breakout movie came in the form of a heist flick that brought together a fantastic ensemble cast, several iconic movie moments, a metric shitload of fake blood and never even showed the damn heist. 25 years later, Reservoir Dogs is a classic of the crime genre.

To celebrate its silver anniversary, Tarantino and the colorful cast recently got together for a screening of the movie in New York City at the Tribeca Film Festival. We’re celebrating it in our own way, by collecting some of the most interesting facts about this crime caper masterpiece.

1. It was filmed in 35 days

The movie was slated to have a tiny $30,000 budget until Harvey Keitel signed on to both lend his talent as Mr. White and some much-needed financing as a producer, helping to balloon the budget to $1.5 million. Still, Tarantino kept the shoot short, aided by the fact that the warehouse where most of the movie takes place and Mr. Orange’s apartment were actually in the same building.

2. “I need you cool, are you cool?”

Harvey Keitel’s line, “I need you cool. Are you cool?” which he delivers to a rattled Mr. Pink, was a late addition to the script after an on-set altercation between Lawrence Tierney (who was infamously problematic during filming) and Michael Madsen forced Tarantino to intervene. To defuse the situation so filming could continue, Tarantino said to Tierney, “Larry, I need you cool. Are you cool?” It stuck out, got incorporated into the script and made it into the final cut of the movie.

3. Madonna said Tarantino was wrong about Like a Virgin

In the opening diner scene of the movie, Tarantino himself, as Mr. Brown, gives a lengthy explanation of what he believes Madonna’s song, Like a Virgin, is about. Unsurprisingly, it’s more about pain than you’d expect. When Madonna herself saw it, she sent Tarantino a copy of her Erotica album with a note that said, “To Quentin. It’s not about dick, it’s about love. Madonna.”

4. Tarantino wanted to be Mr. Pink

Tarantino brought in actors to read for each role but wanted the Mr. Pink role for himself. When Steve Buscemi came in to read for Mr. Pink, Tarantino actually told him so. Whether it was simple honesty or a way to motivate Buscemi remains unknown but Buscemi’s take on Mr. Pink in that audition earned him the part. Tarantino remaindered himself to the much smaller Mr. Brown role instead but did give himself the Like a Virgin speech which was originally intended for Mr. Pink.

5. George Clooney, Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Walken auditioned

We’re of the mind that the movie turned out perfectly with the cast it had but there were some alternatives that might have changed the movie in a big way. George Clooney auditioned for the role of Mr. Blonde, Samuel L. Jackson went in for Mr. Orange and Michael Madsen originally read for Mr. Pink before winding up in a different role.

Beyond the auditions, Tarantino had reached out to Christopher Walken who wound up refusing the Mr. Blonde part and Dennis Hopper, who was unavailable. Somewhat famously, Tarantino had tried several times to reach out to James Woods for a part in the movie but Woods’ agent never gave him the message because the pay was lower than what Woods would normally make. Later, when Woods found out, he was annoyed enough with the agent to find a new one. Other almost-casts include Jon Cryer (!), David Duchovny, Tom Sizemore, Matt Dillon and Viggo Mortensen.

6. It was too gory for horror director Wes Craven

So many of Tarantino’s movies have garnered critical praise and awards but Reservoir Dogs isn’t one of them. In fact, Tarantino recently described how early screenings were littered with walkouts due to the violence depicted in the film. Ironically, the most high-profile walkout was said to be from Wes Craven, which we wouldn’t expect from a master of horror.

7. All that fake blood was a sticky situation

From the backseat of the car to the pool on the warehouse floor, Tim Roth’s Mr. Orange spends most of this movie gut-shot and swimming in fake blood. It was reported that the warehouse got so hot under the camera lights and LA heat that Roth actually got glued to the ground during filming and had to be peeled off the floor.

8. The saga of Vic and Vincent Vega

By the end of the movie we know that Michael Madsen’s Mr. Blonde’s real name is Vic Vega. It’s no coincidence that in Pulp Fiction, which Tarantino directed next, John Travolta plays another suit-wearing henchmen name Vincent Vega. Originally, Madsen was supposed to reprise his Vic Vega role for Pulp Fiction but when Tarantino cast Travolta, he retroactively made them brothers, going as far as describing a fabled spinoff movie for the Vega brothers. Over the course of his career, Tarantino has dropped clues that all of his movies are taking place in the same universe but the Vega connection that started in Reservoir Dogs was what set fans on the trail in the first place.

9. Who shot first?

This is the first movie where we see one of Tarantino’s signature deadly standoffs. And it’s a doozy. But if you’re familiar with it, you’ll likely have an issue with what you see as three people with three guns get off four shots instantaneously. You can check it out in the clip above. If you haven’t seen it, be warned that this is a pivotal scene from the end of the movie. Then again, when it comes to Tarantino’s style of storytelling, we’re not sure that matters.

10. There’s a Bollywood version

Kaante, which came out in 2002, is a Bollywood “remake” that entirely incorporates the plot of Reservoir Dogs while adding in moments from The Usual Suspects and Heat. Tarantino was quoted in 2007 as saying Kaante is his favorite among the Bollywood rip-offs of his work. You can watch the entire thing on YouTube but here it is starting at the same stand-off scene we were just talking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uywJf0lDBq4

Bonus: No shit?!

The movie uses the word “fuck” a truly impressive 272 times.