It was a case of once bitten, twice shy for director Quentin Tarantino, who kept the script of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in a safe to prevent leaks. According to the film's cinematographer Robert Richardson, stars Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie were the only people who knew about the ending.

Tarantino's caution is understandable as the director had almost abandoned making "The Hateful Eight" after the film's draft leaked in 2014. In an interview with Business Insider, Richardson, who has collaborated with Tarantino on a number of films, said even he got the full script late into the production.