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Vagabrothers

Who are Vagabrothers?

Vagabrothers is short for  Vagabond Brothers . This channel, as you already might have guessed, consists of two brothers. Firstly  Marko Ayling , the older and, some might say,  of the two brothers. Secondly,  Alex Ayling , who is two years younger than the first half of this dynamic duo. These brothers didn’t spend much time together before they started their journey.

Vagabrothers was  founded in 2012 . However, neither of them realised how huge this channel is gonna become. Their mutual curiosity inspired them to create videos about  hidden histories, celebrate differences and dispel stereotypes . Therefore their channel inspired over a million people who are subscribed to Vagabrothers channel and follow them on their adventures.

With a talent for storytelling, these brothers created over 200 videos from more than 50 different countries. For instance, their adventures include visiting the White House for Michelle Obama’s summit on Global Citizenship and earning them  “Creator-in-Residence”  at  YouTube Space 2018 in LA. 

Vagabrothers have their own website that you should definitely check out  (Vagabrothers.com) . If you are also interested in travelling, you might be interested in their  travel tips episodes  or just check out what places to visit. Who knows, you might even want to be part of  #TravelTribe , the Vagabrothers community. 

About Vagabrothers

Their  mother was a stewardess for PanAm  and their  father a New Zealand ex-patriot .

Marko Ayling was born in San Diego, California, on  April 2nd, 1986 . He is a writer and producer with endless curiosity to discover new places all over the world. However, Marko wasn’t always the adventurer we know today. Before the whole rise to fame, thanks to My Destination’s Biggest, Baddest, Bucket List, Marko tried out a whole variety of different jobs. For instance, an  English language teacher in Spain  or a  guidebook writer.

Alex Ayling was born in San Diego, California, on  March 15th, 1988 . He is an editor, filmmaker, surfer and photographer  with love for nature . Likewise, Alex is also an adventurer and shares  Marko’s passion for travelling and exploring . 

Vagabrothers collaborated with well-known stars on different videos. For example, in January 2016, Vagabrothers collaborated with singer  Donal Skehan  and created the  “Airplane food hack”  video. Another time they made  “How to save money while travelling”  with  Raya Encheva , who is also a YouTube video blogger who shares travel and lifestyle videos on her channel.

Biggest, Baddest Bucket List

BBB is a competition held by My destination where you have a chance to win a 6 months journey all over the world and  50,000 in cash  once you get home from your adventures. The rules of entering the contest are simple. 

Firstly  you need to create a  video  about your favourite destination. You should show off the icons, secret spots and best places to eat at. Above all you need to  share your passion . It doesn’t matter if you film it on a smartphone or professional camera.  Content  is the only thing that matters,  not quality .

Secondly , you need to share a  500-word travel tale in blog post style . Pick your most emotional memory in the most colourful way you can.

Lastly , illustrate it with photos. Go through your memory box and share three pictures to show your story. Even  rearranging  and taking a new picture counts!

Biggest, Baddest Bucket List and Vagabrothers

When Vagabrothers applied to these channels, they knew their chances were  one in a million.  Even though Vagabrothers had years of experience practising their filmmaking abilities when living in Spain, the  competition was ruthless . Alex was always the one who felt comfortable in front of the camera, but it wasn’t the case for Marko. It took him a crazy  25 tries to even get one whole line on camera . However, Marko got better little by little.

Conveying their natural  brother chemistry  on camera was the best decision they could make, just like when they were young. It won them  My destination biggest, baddest bucket list challenge.

Vagabrothers soaked up the family atmosphere in their hometown before they took off on their journey across the world.  North and South America, the UK and Iceland . Undoubtedly, this duo had a blast in all of these places. Still, most importantly, Brazil, both of them claim that they always wanted to visit Brazil. It even surpassed their already high expectations. After taking off Brazil, this duo continued to  Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. 

Alex looked forward to visiting  Kazakhstan  and stated that it’s sad that Borat is the first thing that comes to mind when you mention this country. It’s the 9th largest country in the world, and central Asia, in general, is fascinating. Most importantly, it’s the land of the  Silk Road , where nomadic people roamed the steppes.

On the other hand, Mark enjoyed  Oman . The Middle East has always been “enchanting” to him. Oman just holds the best of the region: beautiful wadis, strong traditions, hilltop castles and even ports and beaches where you can surf.

This journey held a lot of  contrast housing wise . Imagine this, at first you stay in a beautiful  beachfront Crane Hotel in Barbados  with two ocean fronts and your own private pool on the balcony. However, on the other day, you inhabit a  tent in Rancho DiAndrew in Costa Rica  in the middle of the jungle. Vagabrothers lived in a  penthouse apartment at the Chambers in Edinburgh  or in a  caravan in a West Sussex  800 person village.

Vagabrothers decided to split the  $50,000 fifty-fifty  and donate a chunk to a charity of each other’s choice. Alex decided on  Living Tongues , a project that works to save endangered languages from extinction. At the same time, Mark will donate to  Kiva , a microfinance NGO that helps people get loans to start up their own businesses.

How much do Vagabrothers earn? Net worth!

Thanks to various websites crunching some numbers, we can safely assume that Vagabrothers net worth is somewhere between  $100,000,000  and  $250,000,000  on the high end. The actual number is always unknown, but we can give you a rough idea of how much they earn from YouTube.

Vagabrothers YouTube channel has  1.1 million subscribers  and keeps rising in popularity. It generates around  340,000 views   per month . Therefore around  12,000 per day . 

Channels that are monetised earn money by playing ads. In other words, monetised YouTube channels earn  $3 to $7 , depending on the content they create, for every 1,000 views. To sum up, Vagabrothers should be making  $1,300 per month  and around  $20,000 per year . On the  high end , Vagabrothers could be making even  $40,000 per year .

Interesting facts about Marko Ayling

• Marko Ayling is 35 years old.
• His zodiac sign is Aries.
• His Chinese horoscope sign Tiger
• He believes random travel suggestions are dancing lessons from god.
• The meaning of the first name Marko is warlike. The name originates from the Portuguese.
• His real name is Mark. Marko is what his mom used to call him because she liked Italian culture and called him Marko Mio.
• He used to sing in Danish because he had a Danish nanny.
• He barely sees out of his right eye due to two injuries. They pinched his eyeball when he was born and got a fingernail to the eye in middle school.
• Even though he is right-handed, he uses his left hand when he needs to shoot a bow or a gun because he can barely see through his right eye.
• He is a man of many moustaches, French moustache, monkey moustache or monkey moustache (look it up, it’s hilarious).
• He used to be in a wrestling team and weighed 112 pounds.
• He learned Latin in school because it was required.
• He is an autodidact (self-learner).
• His favourite book is Cannery Row.
• He is obsessed with old maps.
• In 2008 he joined Dirty hands, which was rebuilding houses after hurricane Katrina.
• He is double-jointed in his thumb.
• He is an Evernote addict, always takes notes and even paper ones for the initial thoughts.
• Marko's ideal dinner party would include Hunter S. Thompson, Oscar Wilde, Frida Kahlo, Sir Richard Burton and Bill Murray.
• He once bought a $300 motorbike in Saigon and tried to ride all the way through Vietnam. Sadly he made it only two thirds before he crashed it in the Jungle and needed to leave it on the side of the road.
• Thanks to turning down a job in Mumbai, he wasn’t there during the terrorist attack.
• He once worked as a deckhand on a ship in the Mediterranean.
• His favourite director is Wes Anderson.
• Marko almost lost both of his nipples when mountain biking with his dad. He flew over his bike and slid on his chest on the ground.
• He loves to wear a three-piece suit.
• He camped in Zuccotti Park during Occupy Wall Street.
• He spent one month walking 800km on the Camino de Santiago.
• Marko has a fake front tooth. It got knocked out twice. First when the door slammed his face and secondly when he fell on the skateboard.
• He was on a snowboard team at UCLA.
• His first album was Elton John because of the Lion King.
• His favourite meal is breakfast.
• His biggest inspiration when he was little was Tin Tin.
• He got pulled out of kindergarten on his first day because he had a Kiwi accent (New Zealand accent) from his father. Teachers thought he had some sort of speech impediment.
• His favourite way of travel is by train.
• He took the Trans Siberian Railroad from Beijing to Moscow.
• Marko wants to write at least one book in his life.

Interesting facts about Alex Ayling

• Alex Ayling is 33 years old.
• His zodiac sign is Pisces.
• His Chinese horoscope sign is Dragon.
• He used to be an anthropology Maya and Inca civilisations student.
• Alex Ayling shoe size 4 (US) & dress size 8 (US).
• His nickname as a kid was Flanders.
• Alex was a little bit overweight as a kid.
• He had a mullet as a kid.
• He wanted to be a veterinarian and a fighter pilot after he got a little older.
• He is fluent in Spanish.
• He speaks conversational French and Portuguese.
• He went to school at UC Santa Barbara.
• Alex studied abroad in Dunedin, New Zealand.
• The scar on his lip comes from when he went to a BBQ at his friend’s house. His sister ran a dog sitting company. One of the dogs, a big bluetick coonhound named Bingo, snapped onto his lips. Alex ended up getting over 80 stitches and wasn’t able to get any anaesthesia during the procedure because he had beers at the BBQ.
• He likes fly fishing.
• Horseradish is his arch-nemesis.
• Alex's favourite book is The Alchemist.
• He enjoys going to the dentist.
• Alex is “decent” at freestyling.
• He likes red wine and his most favourite is Malbec.
• Mathematics was his least favourite class.

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The Vagabrothers’ Essential Peru Travel Guide [Video]

Join the award-winning vagabrothers, alex and marko, as they explore peru for the very first time. they share tips and information that just might even surprise the native peruvian..

This first video of their Peru series features an incredible depth of information and tips for those curious about Peru or for those of you who have a trip planned in the near future. This video takes you from Lima to Cusco and Machu Picchu, covering it all and then some. Or, as they say, “this is the essential Peru travel guide!” We agree.

Watch the video, and then click on our links below to learn more about some of the history, cuisine, and attractions they mention.

What To Read Next:

Want to know more about Lake Titicaca and its indigenous cultures? Read: “ Waking Up On A Floating Island On Lake Titicaca ” Want to learn more about the good, and more sinister, properties of the coca leaf ? Read: “ Have You Been To Cusco’s Coca Museum ” Want some tips on how best to enjoy Lima’s food scene ? Read “ The Gastronomic Capital Of The Americas ” Want to learn more about Peru’s Nikkei cuisine and where to try it? Read: “ Nikkei: Peruvian-Japanese Fusion Cuisine ” Want to step inside and learn more about Lima’s Spanish Colonial mansions where the conquistadors lived? Read: “ Historical Peru: Colonial Mansions ” Want to better understand how Peruvian shamans use medicinal plants in their healing ceremonies? Read: “ Medicinal Plants From The Deepest Reaches Of Peru ” Want to learn how to make Peru’s famous pisco sour cocktail? Read: “ The Perfect Pisco Sour ”

For more from the Vagabrothers, find them on:

WEBSITE: http://vagabrothers.com/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/vagabrothers INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/Vagabrothers FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Vagabrothers TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vagabrothers SNAPCHAT: @Vagabrothers

Cover Art: Vagabrothers

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Meet the vagabrothers.

By Erin Chambers Smith

Vegabrothers

Meet the Vagabrothers . They followed me on Twitter last week, and reached out about a contest they are trying to win. Turns out these Mission Hills natives and La Jolla High grads are in the final stages of vying to win one of those crazy cool travel jobs. As part of a promotion, MyDestination.com is giving away $50,000 to one team to go around the world and shoot video gudies to 25 rad cities. And the “Vagabrothers” video landed them in the finals. Watch their video below, and check out the Q&A with one of the brothers Mark, that we did via email. I bet it’ll make you want to pick up and go somewhere far, far away.

You have awesome video skills. Do you have your own production company? Did you go to film school? 

We don’t have a production company and we never went to film school.  We do everything ourselves with Go-Pros and an entry-level Canon T3i camera – less than $1000 of equipment. After learning the basics of video editing on iMovie, we invested in a copy of FinalCut and taught ourselves to edit via YouTube tutorials.  We’ve been learning from trial and error as we put in our “10,000 hours,” but because we love telling stories, the work is always fun.

You grew up in Mission Hills and graduated from la Jolla High. When did the travel bug bite you? 

We were born with the travel bug – our parents met on a train in Switzerland while traveling and have never stopped since. Our father is an immigrant from New Zealand and our mother is a career flight attendant, so we grew up between cultures and always on the move.  Our mom was flying to five countries a week for work, and occasionally she took us with her. We went to university in California but after graduation we decided to follow our parents abroad. I went to India to work at a microfinance NGO where I discovered a passion for travel writing. That eventually led me to blog my way across Asia before settling down to teach English in Spain.  Alex joined me a year later, after partaking in a documentary expedition searching for lost Incan gold in Ecuador.  In our free time, we wrote and shot video and “Vagabrothers” was born.

The video that got you selected for this contest is all about San Sebastian. What do you love most about it? 

We typically call it by its Basque name, Donostia. It’s right on the beach, it’s stunningly beautiful and it’s the perfect size – 180,000 people live between three mountains, two beautiful beaches and a river. Much of the city is styled in the “Belle-Epoch” style of the early 1900s – think Paris on the green coast of Northern Spain. There’s surf on your front door, you’re in nature in five minutes, and France is as far away as Tijuana is from San Diego. The old town is brimming with bars and restaurants where you can eat “pintxos” – bite-sized samples of the five star cuisine that makes San Sebastian famous. Throw in the annual San Sebastian Film Festival and you get an idea why it’s been named the European Capital of Culture for 2016 .

What are you other favorite cities? 

That depends on the brother.  I love the East – Mumbai, Hong Kong, Saigon, Luang Prabang, St. Petersberg, and Dubrovnik. Alex prefers south of the equator: Queenstown where he worked for a snow-season, surfing in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica or San Pedro La Laguna in Guatamala.  But both of us have a soft spot for Spain.

What’s the best place for young people to travel right now?   We always advise our friends not to travel simply to escape, but to break out of their comfort zones and put themselves in direct contact with the immense diversity of this planet – diversity that is at risk of vanishing as young people around the world move to cities and give up traditional lifestyles. Asia is changing fast, and if you get outside the cities you can watch entire societies going through historical shifts. Similarly, indigenous culture in many parts of South America is at risk of disappearing. We’re talking about the last traces of Aztecs, Mayans and Incas. In another way, North Africa and the Middle East would be a fascinating place to visit in the wake of the Arab Spring, but consider the security issue there.  Europe is still a classic, and through websites like Couchsurfing.org or WWOOF  you can interact with locals of all walks of life.

How about if you’re a bit older with deeper pockets — where would you recommend for an adventure?

The Basque Country should top your list.  Trust us, we’ve coached many of our parent’s friends. First off, it’s fascinating: Basques are some of the most culturally distinct people in Europe, and yet they don’t have a country to call their own. So in a way, discovering the Basque Country is like having a new nation appear on the map. Secondly, it’s easily one of the best places to eat in the entire world. San Sebastian alone has more Michelin stars per person than anywhere in the world, and that sets the standard for the every restaurant in the region – from a 1€ pintxo to 300€ 10 course menu degustación. There’s wine tasting the famous Rioja wine region in the summer and ciderhouses in the winter. Too many dining options, really! Lastly, the Basque Coast is one of the most gorgeous coastlines in Europe, full of traditional fishing villages like Hondarrbia, Getaria, Lekeitio, St. Jean de Luz, Biarritz, and the Urdaibai estuary. There’s plenty of rural tourism as well, and we love Oñati, Tolosa, and all the mountain villages in the Pyrenees. Shameless plug: I wrote the app on it called The Basque Country: Cuisine & Culture or you can read the book by Mark Kurlansky Basque History of the World .

You’ve been traveling full time for a few years now. What do you miss most about San Diego? 

Mexican food, craft beer, and sunshine.  We’ve been bingeing on all three since we got home. Beyond that, San Diego is just a very chill place. It’s a huge city that feels like a small town, and people here are so friendly and laid back. That’s something special that we try to bring with us wherever we go in the world.

Why should we vote to help you win this contest? 

Yeah, we know – we can’t just play the “local” card! We honestly think that the two of us would make the best candidate for this job – they may call it a “contest” but this is really a job as a traveling filmmaker and TV host. Experience aside, our biggest strength is our differences: I am the super-curious one who travels to learn about the world, while Alex is the outgoing outdoorsmen that keep the shows fast, friendly and fun. We balance each other out, and if we win we’ll present viewers with complimentary view of 25 destinations around the world that will be as entertaining as it is educational.  And now…we ARE going to play the local card – do you really want to see this prize go to someone from Brazil or South Africa?  If not, vote for us by clicking “Support and Follow this Finalist” here ! If we win, beers are on us!

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Ones that got away: posters for films that never happened – in pictures

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Designer Fernando Reza has created a set of imaginary posters for films that couldn’t make it past pre-production, from Tim Burton’s Superman Lives to Alfred Hitchcock’s Kaleidoscope. Each print can be purchased and arrives with a fake movie ticket

Fri 30 Aug 2019 06.00 BST Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 16.02 BST

The Vega Brothers – Quentin Tarantino

Photograph: Fernando Reza / Fro Design Company

A Topiary – Shane Carruth

Photograph: Fernando Reza / Fro design Company

The Tourist – Clair Noto

Superman Lives – Tim Burton

Ronnie Rocket – David Lynch

At The Mountains of Madness – Guillermo del Toro

Kaleidoscope – Alfred Hitchcock

The Aryan Papers – Stanley Kubrick

Giraffes on Horseback Salad – Salvador Dalí

Heart of Darkness – Orson Welles

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Details About Quentin Tarantino's Long-Abandoned Vega Brothers Film Revealed By Michael Madsen

Once upon a time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino had dreams of combining the worlds of  Reservoir Dogs and  Pulp Fiction  into  The Vega Brothers . Michael Madsen 's character in  Reservoir Dogs and John Travolta 's character in  Pulp Fiction both had the same last name – Vega – and Tarantino very much wanted to team the two actors up for a prequel movie (it would have to be a prequel, since both Vega Brothers die in their respective films). Alas, it never came to be. Tarantino has dropped tidbits about the abandoned project over the years, and now Michael Madsen has offered up even more details.

Back when Quentin Tarantino was starting to develop  Inglourious Basterds , he got an idea to make a movie about the Vega brothers – Vincent (John Travolta) and Vic (Michael Madson). But as the years progressed, the project became less and less likely, primarily due to the ages of his two potential leading men. In 2007, Tarantino talked a bit about the project, and acknowledged it would never get made. "I even had a title for it," the filmmaker said. "It was called Double V Vega. It actually would have taken place during the time Vincent was in Amsterdam, when he was running one of Marcellus' clubs in Amsterdam. And Vic goes to visit him."

However, Tarantino also added he had an idea that would enable the older actors to make the film, and make it a sequel instead of a prequel:

"But we're a little older now, and since they both died – it would have to be a prequel. I actually came up with a way I could have done it, even being older and dead where they all had older brothers and both of their brothers got together because the two guys died. And they wanted revenge or something like that. But now, they [the actors] are too old for that...I gotta say, it's kind of unlikely now."

In a recent interview with THR , Michael Madsen confirmed Tarantino's plans. "He had come up with this idea that it would be the twin brothers of Vic and Vincent, who met after the deaths of their siblings," Madsen said. "It was very complicated, but when Quentin starts discussing an idea, it's very easy to go along with it." Madsen added: "The picture was going to start out with the two of us being released from prison in different states. And we open up a club in Amsterdam."

Revealing that Travolta and Madsen's characters both had their own identical twins seems a  bit silly, but as Madsen says, Tarantino probably could've found a way to make it work. An earlier idea for the film would've nixed the twins idea completely, and been a true prequel, leading up to the events of  Reservoir Dogs and  Pulp Fiction . That version reportedly involved a third Vega brother named Vito, who also died (those Vega brothers have really bad luck).

Of course, none of this happened, and the Vega Brothers movie must now be thrown onto the pile with all of Tarantino's other unrealized projects, like his  Star Trek movie, his James Bond movie, and  Kill Bill Vol. 3 .

How Quentin Tarantino’s Vega Brothers Movie Would Have Worked After Pulp Fiction And Reservoir Dogs

Over the course of his career, Quentin Tarantino has talked about doing a lot of movies that never ended up getting made , and one of the classics is his idea for a Vega Brothers film. The idea stemmed from the fact that Michael Madsen and John Travolta 's respective characters in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction share the same last name, and the "spin-off" film would have established them as brothers and paired them together for their own special adventure.

Of course, when this idea was first revealed fans were quick to point out a big flaw: both Vic and Vincent Vega die before the closing credits of their movies. At the time, the immediate solution was that the film could be a prequel , set before the events of both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction – but the project encountered another issue as time passed and both Michael Madsen and John Travolta grew older. Still, Quentin Tarantino has long said that he has a solution for this issue as well... and now it seems that Madsen has spilled the beans.

The actor best known for slicing off ears and dancing to "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel has been in headlines recently thanks to a viral video he made with his family while stuck in quarantine, and while talking to The Hollywood Reporter about it he revealed how the Vega Brothers movie could have/could still work decades after the release of Quentin Tarantino's first two films:

[Quentin Tarantino] had come up with this idea that it would be the twin brothers of Vic and Vincent, who met after the deaths of their siblings. It was very complicated, but when Quentin starts discussing an idea, it's very easy to go along with it.

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That's right: rather than reprising their roles as Vic and Vincent Vega in the Vega Brothers movie, Michael Madsen and John Travolta would have instead played wholly new siblings in the Vega clan, and the twin brothers of the gangster characters who were killed in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction . Mind. Blown.

Per Michael Madsen, the prequel story would have been predominantly set in The Netherlands, and would have seen his character and John Travolta separately but simultaneously being released from incarceration. It's not clear if this idea would have carried over to the non-prequel version of The Vega Brothers , but it's interesting all the same. Said Madsen,

We were supposed to be in Amsterdam, criminally. The picture was going to start out with the two of us being released from prison in different states. And we open up a club in Amsterdam.

What's extra amazing about this idea is that it really is an angle that can still potentially work – meaning that Quentin Tarantino can continue teasing it forever. Obviously he would have to nix the "meet up after the death of their siblings" part, as that probably would have happened 26 years ago at this point, but I'm pretty sure there isn't a single Tarantino fan in the world who wouldn't want to see The Vega Brothers still get made.

This naturally leads to the question "What is Quentin Tarantino doing next?" but unfortunately there is not answer at present. The filmmaker has talked up the movie as potentially being his last feature, but he has not yet committed to an idea. No matter what he chooses, however, it will instantly have our attention, so be on the look for updates in the coming days, weeks, months and years on that front.

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Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.

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Screen Rant

Why tarantino's vega brothers movie never happened.

Vincent and Vic Vega could have had their own movie, and even though Quentin Tarantino had a premise for it, it never happened. Here's why.

Quentin Tarantino has a number of unmade movies , but one of the biggest is a Vega Brothers film starring Michael Madsen and John Travolta. Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs introduced a group of thieves whose planned heist went terribly wrong, and among those was Vic Vega (Madsen), a.k.a. Mr. Blonde. Two years later, Pulp Fiction featured two hitmen working for gangster Marsellus Wallace: Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (Travolta).

The “Vega” surname is no coincidence and these two characters are related, existing as brothers within Tarantino's shared movie universe , but they never crossed paths on the big screen. In fact, Madsen was supposed to appear in Pulp Fiction but instead chose to appear in Wyatt Earp, and was replaced by Travolta – and that’s how the Vega brothers came to be. Turns out that these two characters could have shared the screen, as a few years ago Tarantino revealed he had an idea for a movie starring Travolta and Madsen as the Vega brothers, but it never happened.

Related: What's Up With Quentin Tarantino & Feet?

In an interview with CinemaBlend , Tarantino opened up about his unmade Vega brothers movie. Titled Double V Vega , this prequel story would have taken place in Amsterdam, when Vincent Vega was there (connecting with his story in Pulp Fiction about “the little differences” in Europe), running “some club for Marsellus” . Vincent was there for two years and his brother Vic visited at some point. However, Tarantino couldn’t get the story past that, and doesn’t even know what they could have gotten into, and that’s why the movie was never made.

Double V Vega will forever live as a concept as it’s too late now for it, given that Travolta and Madsen are now too old to play the Vega brothers again (since it'd have to be a prequel), and Tarantino obviously isn’t interested in the current de-aging visual effects. This doesn’t seem to worry Tarantino at all, as he has kept himself busy with a lot of different projects since Pulp Fiction and he seemingly always knew that the Vega brothers movie wouldn’t go past a premise.

While it would have been interesting to see what Vincent was up to in Amsterdam (given the stories he told Jules) and what his relationship with Vic was like, not getting to know any of these details makes the characters more interesting and make way for a lot of interpretations and theories on what the lives of the two Vega brothers were like before the events in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction .

Next: What Is Quentin Tarantino's Next Movie? Here's All The Projects He's Teased

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Michael madsen gives details about tarantino’s abandoned vega brothers film.

Michael Madsen and John Travolta could have teamed up for a prequel to 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Pulp Fiction.'

By Ryan Parker

Ryan Parker

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There had been whispers for years that  Quentin Tarantino was developing a film uniting  Reservoir Dogs ‘ Vic Vega and  Pulp Fiction ‘s Vincent Vega — but the project just never took off. Well, Michael Madsen , who played Vic Vega, aka Mr. Blonde, in the 1992 classic, told The Hollywood Reporter the brothers project was further along than most realize. 

Madsen made news over the weekend when he posted a  video  to social media encouraging people to stay indoors during the coronavirus pandemic by re-creating with his family the famous ear-cutting scene from  Reservoir Dogs. 

“I was bored out of my mind, basically,” the actor tells The Hollywood Reporter . “It was my wife who said it would be funny to do a kooky type of  Reservoir Dogs.  It was very funny, I am surprised we pulled it off.” (Madsen notes he did send the video to Tarantino, but has yet to hear back). 

“We were supposed to be in Amsterdam, criminally,” says Madsen of Tarantino’s thoughts. “The picture was going to start out with the two of us being released from prison in different states. And we open up a club in Amsterdam.” In Pulp Fiction , Vincent Vega says he just returned to Los Angeles from Amsterdam.

Ultimately, too much time passed, with Tarantino working on other pictures and the pair of actors getting too old, Madsen says. However, Tarantino did float a wild idea by him a few years ago about the project. 

“He had come up with this idea that it would be the twin brothers of Vic and Vincent, who met after the deaths of their siblings,” Madsen says, chucking. “It was very complicated, but when Quentin starts discussing an idea, it’s very easy to go along with it.” 

Travolta and Madsen did work together last year on the race car film Trading Paint , where they had some fun with the idea of being brothers, the actor says.  

“We had a scene where we are at a big retirement party, and I walked up to John and he goes, ‘I thought you were dead.’ And I looked over at him and I said, ‘Well, I thought you were dead,'” the actor recalls of the moment that got a big laugh on the set. 

Madsen has appeared in a number of Tarantino films, the most recent of which was 2019’s  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood . He is also featured in the 2019 documentary  QT8: The First Eight . The Tara Wood-helmed film examines the Tarantino library with a number of interviews from the writer-director’s stable of stars.

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Best Western Vega Hotel & Convention Center

How do i get to the hotel from vnukovo airport.

By taxi The drive from Vnukovo Airport to the Best Western Vega Hotel takes 50-90 minutes, depending on traffic. Official airport taxis should cost around $60, or you can order a transfer with a driver to meet your flight here .

By train Aeroexpress trains run from Vnukovo Airport Station to Kiev Railway Station in central Moscow. Trains run on the hour from 6am to 12am daily, the journey takes 35-40 minutes, and adult single tickets cost roughly $11. Child tickets, family tickets and first-class tickets are also available. From Kievskaya Metro Station, it is a direct journey eight stops east on the dark-blue line to Partizanskaya Metro Station, which is around 100 m from the Best Western Vega Hotel.

By bus From the stop across the car park at Terminal D (domestic flights) at Vnukovo, bus services run to Yugo-Zapadnaya Metro Station on the outskirts of Moscow. Regular buses (611 and 611c) run from 5.30am to 12.50am daily every 10-15 minutes and take under 25 minutes to reach the metro. Tickets cost $3-4. There are also faster and slightly more expensive marshrutka minibus shuttles (611b and 45) running from 7am to 11pm. From Yugo Zapadnaya, at the end of the red line, travel north nine stops to Okhotny Ryad. Change to the dark-blue line, and continue east five stops to Partizanskaya Metro Station, which is less than five minutes' walk from the Best Western Vega Hotel.