Producer Warns Fans That ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Is Not a Charles Manson Murder Movie

Only three months remain until the premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and the filmmakers have a message for fans who dubbed it a “Charles Manson murder movie.” (Hint: It’s not.)

Producers David Heyman and Shannon McIntosh recently sat down for an interview with Entertainment Weekly and warned viewers about what to expect in the thriller. While discussing one of the film’s themes (cough, Manson, cough), Heyman revealed that it doesn’t focus on the murder itself.

“That’s one of the big misconceptions to clarify,” he said.

Instead, it highlights the impact that it had on the world in relation to eventual Manson-family victim, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). “It’s about the loss of innocence that came about in 1969 with the Manson family,” McIntosh added.

Heyman went on to explain that similar works have focused on Charles Manson—not Tate.

“[Sharon Tate] has been mythologized in some way through the murders but we get to see her as a person and we get to see her delight and enthusiasm and her sweetness,” he continued. “She represents an innocence and innocence lost in some way, and that innocence is very much—that sweetness, that goodness, that delight with the movies, with her, with her life—is something that we experience.”

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood takes place in the late ’60s in Los Angeles. It follows a washed-up TV star, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), who just so happen to live next door to Tate.

Gulp. The movie will hit theaters on July 26.

Want to know more about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?

• Margot Robbie & Hilary Duff Are Playing the Same Real-Life Murder Victim, Sharon Tate—and They Aren’t the First Ones
• Did You Know a Key ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Character Is Based on Burt Reynolds?
• Will Late Actor Luke Perry Still Be in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?’