Famed composer Ennio Morricone blasted Playboy after the magazine quoted him as calling Quentin Tarantino a "cretin." Now the magazine -- which first stood by its article -- is apologizing.

Morricone, whose famous scores include "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," finally won an Oscar for scoring Tarantino's film "The Hateful Eight."

A recent interview with Playboy, however, quoted the 90-year-old composer as having nothing kind to say about Tarantino, dismissing his movies as "trash."

Playboy in Germany now says that some of the quotes in the article were "reproduced incorrectly." They blamed the writer, Marcel Anders, for the errors.

“We would like to express our regret should Mr. Morricone have been portrayed in a false light. We are working to clarify this matter and are exploring legal measures," the magazine said in a statement.

Morricone has threatened legal action, according to Variety.

In his official statement about the Playboy interview, Morricone said, "I consider Tarantino a great director. I am very fond of my collaboration with him and the relationship we have developed during the time we have spent together. He is courageous and has an enormous personality. I credit Tarantino for being one of the people responsible for getting me an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgments of my career."

In a separate radio interview with German station Deutschlandfunk, Morricone said he didn't think he'd work with Tarantino again, but not because of any enmity between the two. "I do not think Tarantino will call me again, which does not mean that I will completely stop composing. But in the time I still have, I would rather make music that is not intended for the cinema, but which can be listened to without pictures."

During his 2016 Oscars acceptance speech (which had to be translated from Italian) Morricone said, "Thank you, the Academy, for this prestigious acknowledgement... There isn’t a great soundtrack without a great movie that inspires it. I want to thank Quentin Tarantino for having chosen me... and the entire team who made this extraordinary film."

Morricone has been nominated for an Academy Award six times and he received an Honorary Oscar in 2007.

[Via Variety]