Leonardo DiCaprio, 43, shares FIRST LOOK at Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood movie - set during the Manson murders - as he poses with Brad Pitt, 54

Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt lead Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
The film's plot takes place against backdrop of Manson Family murders
DiCaprio, 43, posted snapshot of himself and Pitt, 54, in character
They both play Hollywood has-beens looking for a way back on top

Published: 15:38 BST, 27 June 2018 | Updated: 16:58 BST, 28 June 2018

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Leonardo DiCaprio shared a first look from the new Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

The image was posted by the 43-year-old Oscar winner to Instagram on Wednesday morning and saw him beside his co-star Brad Pitt, 54.

The film's storyline, set against the backdrop of the Manson Family murders, sees the duo play Hollywood has-beens looking for a way back on top in the 1960s.

Dressed for 1969: Leonardo DiCaprio, 43, treated his 24 million Instagram followers to a 'First look' of himself and Brad Pitt, 54, in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Pitt appears to have recently returned from London - where he was visiting his six children as his estranged wife Angelina Jolie worked on Maleficent 2 - to Los Angeles to work on the movie.

DiCaprio and Pitt respectively play a 'former star of a western TV series, and his longtime stunt double,' Deadline quoted Tarantino as having explained to Sony.

'Both are struggling to make it in a Hollywood they don’t recognize anymore. But [DiCaprio's character] Rick has a very famous next-door neighbor…Sharon Tate.'

Manson Family members Charles 'Tex' Watson, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel butchered Tate at her and her husband Roman Polanski's Los Angeles home in August 1969 - leaving the word 'PIG' scrawled on the front door in Tate's blood.

Back in Cali: Pitt appears to have recently returned from London - where he was visiting his six children as his estranged wife Angelina Jolie worked on Maleficent 2 - to Los Angeles to work on the movie; seen in early June

Tough times: This is the second major film Brad has made since his 2016 split from Jolie - his first was Ad Astra; seen in 2015 at their last red carpet appearance together

In the house with Tate, who was pregnant, were coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Folger's beau Wojciech Frykowski, and Tate's hairstylist friend and ex Jay Sebring.

All of them were killed as well - as was Steven Parent, 18, who had swung by the premises that evening to pay a call on its caretaker Bill Garretson, 19. Fortunately for Garretson, the Manson Family never came across him.

The next night, Manson Family members entered the home of grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary LaBianca, and murdered them too.

Charles Manson himself served life in prison and only died this past November, exactly a week after his 83rd birthday.

The man behind the camera: The director is Quentin Tarantino. Pitt and DiCaprio have each acted for Tarantino once before - the former in 2009's Inglourious Basterds and the latter in 2012's Django Unchained

In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Margot Robbie features as Tate, Emile Hirsch as Sebring and Damian Lewis as iconic movie star Steve McQueen.

While discussing the film last July, Tate's sister Debra told TMZ that she felt Jennifer Lawrence was 'not pretty enough' to play the slaughtered actress. She floated Robbie as an option instead.

Two days before that interview appeared online, Deadline had reported that Robbie and Tarantino had indeed taken a meeting about the possibility of her in the role.

Pedigree: In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Margot Robbie (pictured) features as Sharon Tate, Emile Hirsch as Sebring and Damian Lewis as iconic movie star Steve McQueen

Meanwhile, McQueen's first ex-wife Neile Adams told the Toronto-based National Post last year that he had been asked to dinner at Tate's house the night of her murder, but 'ran into a chickie and decided to go off with her instead.'

Though the film was initially at Tarantino's frequent home The Weinstein Company, it moved over to Sony after Harvey Weinstein's operatic downfall amid a storm of sexual misconduct allegations that included accusations of rape.

The producer has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood has already ignited controversy over the casting of Hirsch, who was convicted and sentenced to 15 days in jail for assaulting Paramount executive Daniele Bernfeld at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

The real Sharon: Manson Family members Charles 'Tex' Watson, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel butchered Tate at her and her husband Roman Polanski's home in August 1969

With a cast that includes Burt Reynolds, Al Pacino and James Marsden, as well as Tarantino alumni like Zoe Bell, Michael Madsen, Kurt Russell and Tim Roth, the film will be released August 9 next year, marking the 50th anniversary of the murders.

This month, Deadline reported the casting of Dakota Fanning as Manson Family member Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme, who went on to spend more than 30 years behind bars for a 1975 attempt on U.S. President Gerald Ford's life.

Pitt and DiCaprio have each acted for Tarantino once before - the former in 2009's Inglourious Basterds and the latter in 2012's Django Unchained.