One of the most influential spaghetti westerns of all-time is Sergio Corbucci's Django, which told the story of a mysterious gunslinger dragging a coffin who gets into the middle of a bloody fued between Confederate Red Shirts and a band of Mexican revolutionaries. The 1966 film starred Franco Nero and was an enormous success, so much so that it spawned over thirty unofficial sequels.
It seems that the iconic western will be receiving another reimagining as it's been announced that Matthias Schoenaerts has landed the title role in Django, a high-concept English-language series loosely based on the original film. Schoenaerts is best known for his roles in The Danish Girl, Red Sparrow, The Old Guard, and more. Django will be set in the Wild West of the 1860s and 1870s and follows Sarah and John, a young couple who have founded New Babylon, "a city of outcasts, full of men and women of all backgrounds, races and creeds, that welcomes everyone with open arms." Django, still haunted by the murder of his family eight years earlier, is on the search for his daughter, who he believes may have survived, and is shocked to find her in New Babylon, about to marry John. "But Sarah, now a grown woman, wants Django to leave," reads Deadline's synopsis, "as she fears he will put New Babylon in jeopardy if he stays. However, Django, believing the city is in danger, is adamant that he will not lose his daughter twice." The ten-episode series will be directed by Francesca Comencini (Gomorrah), who will also serve as Django's artistic director. In a statement, Sky Italia Executive Vice-president of Programming Nicola Maccanico said:
The Western is one of the most traditional and popular genres with Django one of the best loved films in Italy and around the world. This new series is a fresh, reimagining of the cult classic bringing viewers a contemporary angle and narrative.
As a big fan of the original film, not to mention a handful of the unofficial sequels, I'm thrilled that Django will be returning, especially if the series will carry on the mud and blood aesthetic of the movie. You might also remember that Franco Nero made a cameo appearance in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, which was inspired by Corbucci's film, among others.