Was Quentin Tarantino's Script Leak a PR Stunt?

Recently, the script for The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino’s next movie, was leaked to the internet. Because of this, the director says that he is cancelling it. He will instead publish the script in book form, possibly revisiting the movie in five years. The script consists of five chapters and limited locations--a more modest scale than is typical Tarantino.  Want to read the whole script?

There's a torrent of comments on the Defamer post here.  

Who leaked the script? No one knows, but Tarantino says he only gave it to five people:  Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and producer Reggie Hudlin. Reggie showed it to an agent, but didn’t let him or her keep it.

Does anyone smell anything fishy? The leak and cancellation have gotten so much publicity that all parties seem to benefit--except maybe the actors who were to star in the movie.

And Tarantino likes having his scripts leaked. “I am not talking out of both sides of my mouth, because I do like the fact that everyone eventually posts it, gets it and reviews it on the net,” he told Deadline Hollywood. “Frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I like the fact that people like my shit, and that they go out of their way to find it and read it. But I gave it to six motherfucking people! Starting this week, I’ll be setting meetings with publishers.”

Personally, I believe Tarantino when he says he didn't want the script leaked this early. He is a passionate, idiosyncratic man, and impulsive action--like cancelling a movie over a leak--seems right up his alley. That still leaves the possibility that one of the agents leaked it on purpose. They may not have expected a cancellation, but bad publicity is still publicity. At any rate, this bizarre situation sheds an important spotlight on the issue of protecting your rights and intellectual property in the digital age.

So what do you think? Honest leak or PR stunt? Leave a comment here or on Twitter!