Is there anything Chris Pratt is not up for? After knocking it out of the park in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and riding with raptors in JURASSIC WORLD, Pratt has been rumored to be up for the lead in COWBOY NINJA VIKING as well as news he may appear in another western alongside Denzel Washington.
Deadline reports that Pratt is currently in talks to join Washington in Antoine Fuqua‘s remake of the classic western THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Pratt would only be the second actor named leaving five more major hero roles to be filled for the film to begin production. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, itself a remake of the classic SEVEN SAMURAI, starred Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Charles Bronson and has been long on MGM’s list of projects to remake.
Previously linked to Tom Cruise, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN script has been worked on by John Lee Hancock and TRUE DETECTIVE’s Nic Pizzolatto. The film is currently set at the end of the Civil War, retaining the western setting. It is unknown if the plot will remain the same seeing a poor village ravaged by criminals hires a group of gunslingers to defend them. With Denzel in the lead, Pratt could either be providing comic relief or play the role of the hothead. Either way, if Pratt joins, this project just got even more intriguing.
MGM is aiming to begin production in early 2015, so expect more casting news soon as this looks like a likely 2016 blockbuster.