Kevin Costner Nearly Headlined These Iconic Tarantino Films
Kevin Costner Almost Starred in Two Tarantino Classics — Here’s Why It Never Happened
Kevin Costner and Quentin Tarantino might not seem like a natural pairing. Costner is best known for playing rugged, noble heroes in sweeping Americana epics like Dances with Wolves and Open Range. Tarantino, on the other hand, is cinema’s genre-blending rebel — famous for his stylized violence, razor-sharp dialogue, and love for grindhouse and pulp fiction. Yet, despite their vastly different cinematic styles, Costner has come close — twice — to starring in a Tarantino film.
Costner Was Tarantino’s First Choice for Kill Bill
The first near-miss happened in the early 2000s, when Tarantino was casting the role of Bill in Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2. At the time, he was riding high off the success of Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, and had earned his place among the great modern directors. For his next film, he wanted Costner to play the enigmatic title villain.
But it didn’t happen. Despite being interested in working with Tarantino, Costner had a scheduling conflict. He was busy directing and starring in Open Range, a Western that gave him full creative control — a chance to rebound after the critical failure of The Postman. In the end, Costner chose to focus on his directorial vision. Tarantino went on to cast David Carradine as Bill, while Open Range became a sleeper hit and one of Costner’s most critically praised films.
Stylistically, the contrast between the two projects is stark. Kill Bill is a blood-soaked homage to kung fu and samurai flicks, while Open Range is a contemplative, grounded Western that treats violence as a last resort. Still, there’s no indication that these differences played a role in Costner’s decision — it really came down to timing.
He Nearly Joined Django Unchained, Too
Almost a decade later, Tarantino tried again. This time, he offered Costner the role of Ace Woody in Django Unchained, a brutal Western that reimagines America’s slave-holding past through Tarantino’s explosive lens.
Ace Woody was envisioned as a sadistic slave trainer — the right-hand man to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie. Once again, Costner was interested. Negotiations were underway. But history repeated itself, and Costner dropped out due to — you guessed it — scheduling issues. He was already committed to Man of Steel and the epic miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, which ultimately became a huge success and won five Emmys.
With Costner out, Tarantino scrapped the character and reworked parts of him into Billy Crash, played by Walton Goggins. While Django Unchained went on to win two Oscars, Costner’s choice also paid off, as Hatfields & McCoys helped re-establish him as a TV powerhouse — paving the way for Yellowstone.
Why Tarantino Keeps Coming Back to Costner
You might wonder why Tarantino keeps pursuing Costner — especially when he has his pick of Hollywood royalty. The answer is simple: nostalgia. Tarantino has always said that his love of cinema is rooted in the movies he grew up watching, and Costner was one of his screen idols. In fact, back in 1985, Tarantino saw Fandango — a small adventure film starring a young Costner — five times in its one-week theatrical run. He admired Costner so much that he once said he wanted to dress, act, and even be like him.
For Tarantino, casting Costner would be more than just smart casting — it would be the realization of a decades-long dream.
One Final Chance?
Tarantino has long claimed he will only make 10 movies before retiring. If Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 count as one film, then he has just one left to go. And while he hasn’t officially announced what that final film will be (or when it will go into production), his recent focus on fatherhood has delayed the process — which might be just the window of opportunity needed for a long-overdue Tarantino-Costner collaboration.
