THR's Director Roundtable: Quentin Tarantino Says Digital Projection Is Driving Him Toward Retirement: 'It's Over' (Video)

Quentin Tarantino doesn't see himself making movies into his golden years, the Django Unchained director revealed at The Hollywood Reporter's annual Director Roundtable.

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"I don't intend to be a director deep into my old age," Tarantino told the panel of celebrated helmers that included Ang Lee, Ben Affleck and David O. Russell. Rather, the man who changed the face of indie cinema with such breakout features as Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction says he'll focus instead on academic pursuits.

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"I'll probably just be a writer, or I'll just write novels, and I'll write film literature and film books and subtextual film criticism, things like that," Tarantino says.

Tarantino explains that it's film's imminent extinction -- with all-digital cameras and projectors rapidly replacing their traditional, celluloid counterparts -- that is turning him off of the medium.

"I hate that stuff," Tarantino says. "I shoot film. But to me, even digital projection is -- it's over, as far as I'm concerned. It's over."

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Calling the practice nothing more than glorified "television in public," the director says he'd eschew cinema and focus on directing for TV itself -- which would afford him the luxury of telling the long, epic stories he wants to tell.

"I'd rather just write one of my big scripts and do it as a miniseries for HBO," he says.

In addition to the directors already mentioned, the roundtable discussion featured Tom Hooper and Gus Van Sant. It was moderated by THR news director Matthew Belloni and executive features editor Stephen Galloway.