The original version of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN ranks as one of the best movies of all time and definitely one of the best Westerns. The Antonie Fuqua-directed remake has already garnered itself quite a cast and these two additions will further illustrate the changing landscape of film. TERMINATOR: GENISYS and G.I. JOE star Byung-Hun Lee has joined the film in the role of Billy Rocks while AQUAMAN himself, Jason Momoa, is in talks for a role in the movie that already features Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Chris Pratt, Wagner Moura and Haley Bennett.
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN itself was a Hollywood remake of the Japanese classic SEVEN SAMURAI, so making the cast international is not that outside of the box. Explaining how all of these ethnicities co-exist in the less than tolerant 19th century is likely something screenwriters John Lee Hancock and Nic Pizzolatto. The Hollywood Reporter says that Momoa is being sought for one of the villains but the main antagonist, a robber baron, has yet to be cast.
The new version’s story kicks off when a woman (Bennett) hires a disparate group of gunslingers to protect her town from rampaging bandits.
Both actors are fine additions to an already stellar cast. I was originally thinking that Vincent D'Onofrio was going to play the bad guy but I am even more excited to learn he may be one of the seven gunslingers. Pratt and Washington should play well off of each other while Ethan Hawke reuniting with his TRAINING DAY co-star and director is also reason to get excited. I was not a big fan of a remake of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN to begin with but with each cast addition I get more and more confident that this is going to be a kickass movie.
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN is slated to hit theaters on January 13th, 2017.