Earlier this year it was reported that Quentin Tarantino was working hard on developing his next film, with a script to be due this Spring. On Friday, QT fansite The Quentin Tarantino Archives dropped the first bit of proof. The site got its hands on an image of the first page of the script. You can see the image below, but just know that the image is highly suspect with hand-written text that looks like it was written by someone with the penmanship of a kindergartner. But when you compare it with the title page of the Inglourious Bastereds‘ script, you begin to see the similarities.
Thompson On Hollywood, having caught wind of the developing story reached out to their sources at WME, the agency that represents QT, and confirmed that the title of the film is Django Unchained. Other details picked up is that it will be a spaghetti western set in America during the days of slavery. Christoph Waltz’s reps have also confirmed that he will be starring in the film.
A few months ago original Django actor, Franco Nero, acknowledged that he would be teaming with Tarantino for a spaghetti western that would star Waltz, Treat Williams, and Keith Carradine. While Waltz is a definite, it is not confirmed if Nero, Williams or Carradine will also be involved.
Add to the story, Deadline‘s Mike Fleming adds that the film is aiming for a late summer or early fall shoot. The Weinsten Company will handle domestic distribution. He also adds that casting will be “top-shelf.”
It better be, if Hollywood Elsewhere‘s published story synopsis from someone who read the script is correct. Because to entice foreign markets, a caliber star or stars may be needed.
Django is a freed slave, who, under the tutelage of a German bounty hunter (Christopher Waltz) becomes a bad-ass bounty hunter himself, and after assisting Waltz in taking down some bad guys for profit, is helped by Waltz in tracking down his slave wife and liberating her from an evil plantation owner. And that doesn’t even half begin to cover it! This film deals with racism as I’ve rarely seen it handled in a Hollywood film. While it’s 100 percent pure popcorn and revenge flick, it is pure genius in the way it takes on the evil slave owning south. Think of what he did with the Nazis in Inglorious and you’ll get a sense of what he’s doing with slave owners and slave overseers in this one.
The story seems to match the idea that Tarantino was talking about back in early 2010, by which he would take a horrible event in America’s past (in this case slavery) but present it in the shell of a popcorn movie, not “big issue movies.”
With a reported 166 page script, Django Unchained is shaping up to be QT’s biggest opus yet. As for potential casting choices, if we’re talking “top-shelf” talent, well you might as well make an offer to Denzel Washington and Will Smith to be part of the ensemble. Other considerations: Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Idris Elba. Rising talent Anthony Mackie could star as the freed slave Django. Who would be your picks for the ensemble cast?
