Chinese Film Board Blocks Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — In a decision that may cost the Sony as much as $30 million dollars, China’s National Film Administration has canceled the upcoming China debut of Quentin Tarantino’s hit film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

The film had previously been approved for release on October 24th.

While the National Film Administration offered no official reason for the opening to be canceled, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the decision comes after the Shannon Lee, the daughter of Bruce Lee, raised objections about how the late martial arts legend was portrayed in the film.

If you haven’t seen “Once Upon A Time” yet, Lee is only featured in one scene of Tarantino’s paean to the Hollywood of yesteryear and it’s admittedly, not flattering.

In the scene, a bragging Lee, who is played by Mike Moh, is easily bested in a brawl by Cliff Booth, the easygoing stuntman played by Brad Pitt.

According to THR, the film’s China release was expected to help push “Once Upon A Time” —which has already earned $366 million— past the $400 million threshold.

A unnamed source told THR that Tarantino has made it clear that he has not plans to edit the film to be more palatable to Chinese fans.