The Uma Thurman Fortnite collaboration has been officially unveiled, bringing a new chapter from Quentin Tarantino‘s famed Kill Bill franchise into the world of gaming. This innovative crossover was revealed as part of a joint project between Tarantino, Uma Thurman, and Epic Games, offering fans both a unique gaming experience and a revived storyline that had never made it to the original films.
Forgotten Script Brought to Life Through Animation and Technology
Quentin Tarantino, at age 62, partnered with the development team behind Fortnite to adapt a deleted scene from Kill Bill, with Uma Thurman reprising her iconic role. The result, titled The Lost Chapter: Yuki’s Revenge, will not only be featured within Fortnite but is also set to appear during the upcoming theatrical release, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.
To achieve an authentic recreation, Tarantino and Thurman utilized Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, leveraging cutting-edge motion capture to integrate the actress’s distinct performance into the animated short. The collaborative approach marked a fresh avenue for realizing unseen material from Kill Bill’s earlier drafts.
How the Collaboration Took Shape
During a special launch event, Tarantino recounted how the partnership was initiated.
“They got together with me to talk about some situation where my characters and Fortnite do something kind of groovy,”
Tarantino stated, describing early negotiations.
“So I show up at the meeting thinking that we’re just going to talk about that they want to license the characters, and they want to get my ideas about what will be a fun thing to do.”
— Quentin Tarantino, Filmmaker
Rather than simply including Kill Bill characters in the game, Epic Games asked Tarantino to develop a narrative lasting between eight and twelve minutes that seamlessly brought his signature characters into the game’s universe.
“That could be good for our purposes and make sure your iconic characters are wrapped up inside this,”
he shared, reflecting the gaming company’s request. — Quentin Tarantino, Filmmaker
An Abandoned Storyline Gets Center Stage
Tarantino revealed that the new animated short draws from scenes he originally wrote for the first draft of Kill Bill, but never advanced beyond that stage.
“It was too crazy, too violent, and just too much action,”
he explained of the omitted material now receiving new life. — Quentin Tarantino, Filmmaker
The story involves a fresh twist on existing lore, introducing Gogo, played by Chiaki Kuriyama, as having a twin sister named Yuki. According to Tarantino,
“Gogo (Chiaki Kuriyama) had a twin sister and had the sniffles that night at the House of Blue Leaves and leaves early.”
— Quentin Tarantino, Filmmaker
“I actually thought maybe the ship had sailed as far as, like doing new material. I was wrong,”
Tarantino said, reflecting on his willingness to revisit the world he had long since set aside.
“When I wrote the first draft of the script, there was a lost chapter that, frankly, I just didn’t think we could pull off. And Yuki has been a figment of my imagination for over 20 years.”
— Quentin Tarantino, Filmmaker
What’s Next for Kill Bill and Fortnite
Fans can anticipate the theatrical event Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, a supercut of both movies including The Lost Chapter, beginning in theaters on December 5. Meanwhile, The Lost Chapter: Yuki’s Revenge will make its debut within Fortnite on November 30, further cementing the unique partnership and offering audiences a fresh perspective on characters like Yuki and her connection to the original story. This Uma Thurman Fortnite collaboration demonstrates the growing synergy between film and gaming, paving the way for future creative crossovers.
