Just days after Quentin Tarantino’s new Western script DJANGO UNCHAINED arrived in Hollywood (and the inboxes of many movie website editors), the project is already attracting some significant attention.
Now Heat Vision says A-lister Will Smith is being pursued by the filmmaker for the title role of a freed slave searching for his slave wife in the pre-Civil War South. Nothing has been solidified beyond their mutual interest in working together.
While Smith is certainly capable enough (admittedly, I envisioned someone like Idris Elba), the role would require the actor to get ugly (himself and possibly his image), dealing with some of the more heinous aspects of America’s history. Not to mention more N-bombs than all of QT’s previous movies combined.
Christoph Waltz is expected to play the German bounty hunter Schultz, who frees Django, trains him in weapons and deception, and accompanies him on his quest to be reunited with his love. (This would make sense, as the role was seemingly written expressly for Waltz.)
Heat Vision says QT regular Samuel L. Jackson is also likely to join as the wise-mouthed Stephen, elder house slave of villain Calvin Candie (also a juicy part for some fortunate actor).
The movie will be distributed domestically by Tarantino’s longtime collaborators at Weinstein Co., but the filmmaker is meeting with the big studios looking for someone with money to make it (similar to the INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS arrangement, and the involvement of an actor of Smith’s status should make that process easier). QT reportedly wants to start shooting in Louisiana later this year.