Quentin Tarantino Joins Simon Pegg and Sofia Boutella in Drama Only What We Carry

Simon Pegg and Sofia Boutella are stepping into dramatic territory in Only What We Carry, a Normandy-set feature that also counts Quentin Tarantino, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Liam Hellmann and singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine among its cast, marking McAlpine’s feature film debut.

The first images from the film have been unveiled as International Film Trust comes on board to handle world sales, which will launch this week at the European Film Market. The drama is currently in post-production.

Set on the windswept coast of Deauville, Only What We Carry centers on Julian Johns (Pegg), a once-celebrated artistic director of the Moulin Rouge who now lives in near isolation. His carefully guarded solitude is disrupted when Charlotte Levant (Boutella), a former dancer from his past, tracks him down after reading a newspaper article that reveals his whereabouts. Her arrival forces both characters to confront unresolved grief, buried truths and the emotional toll of the lives they have left behind.

Tarantino appears as Julian’s publisher, who resides at the château where Julian is writing his memoir, while Gainsbourg plays Charlotte’s fiercely protective sister. The role marks Tarantino’s most substantial on-screen appearance since Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn in 1996. Pegg and Boutella previously appeared together in Star Trek Beyond.

The film is written and directed by Jamie Adams, whose work is known for its improvisation-driven style. The approach on Only What We Carry is said to continue that tradition, drawing inspiration from filmmakers such as Eric Rohmer and Hong Sang Soo, with performances shaped organically rather than driven by a conventional script.

Producers on the project include Charles Benoin, Hellmann and Jouri Smit. Executive producers are Alan Ganansia, Richard Althoff, Laura Auclair, Theodoros Ornithopoulos, Jihane Salim, Frédérique Mathias, Alain Bérard, Audrey Boccadifuocco and Pegg.

“Thanks to Charles Benoin, I joined this adventure the way you join a family,” said Auclair. “It was a real honor of contributing as an executive producer to make this project possible, and a privilege to witness this five-star cast evolve, create and improvise under our eyes.”

Ganansia echoed that sentiment, noting that the unconventional process initially felt uncertain. “At first the process felt abstract — improvisation, no traditional script, a lot of unknowns,” he said. “But once I was on set, it all clicked. There was a rare, natural energy, nothing forced or over-engineered. What could have been chaotic became incredibly focused. Watching the film reveal itself in real time was honestly magical, and it confirmed we were part of something truly special.”