Quentin Tarantino almost directed 8 Mile

Quentin Tarantino is one of the most revered names in filmmaking. He has brought us classic films over the course of three decades, including Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained and, more recently, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. However, did you know that Tarantino nearly helmed the classic Eminem film 8 Mile?

Eminem manager Paul Rosenberg revealed that Quentin Tarantino was considered to direct the 2002 semiautobiographical film, which told the story of the rapper’s tough upbringing.

“We reached out to [Quentin Tarantino] — he was so popular then. But looking back, his movies are so stylized; I don’t think that would’ve worked with this subject matter,” Rosenberg explained in a 2012 interview with Vibe Magazine. Rumour has it that Tarantino had genuine interest in working on the film but was already deeply entangled in the production of Kill Bill.

Trainspotting and 28 Days Later visionary Danny Boyle was also in the running to direct 8 Mile. Ultimately, Curtis Hanson, who is best known for helming L.A. Confidential, got the job.

“[Danny Boyle] had a cool take, really raw and aggressive. He came to Detroit, but Marshall didn’t connect with him the way he did with Curtis Hanson so we didn’t go with him,” Rosenberg explained.

8 Mile went on to garner positive reviews, gross over $242-million and even earn an Academy Award for Best Original Song. To date, it is the only film that Eminem has starred in. He was once attached to the 2015 boxing film Southpaw but dropped out to focus on music. The rapper ended up producing the film’s soundtrack.

---

For more film and TV coverage, please visit the Film & TV section.