Some time after the script leaked the prevailing sentiment was that a handful of roles written in Django Unchained were specifically written for a handful of actors. Samuel L Jackson was one of them and now, per Variety, he joins Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kevin Costner (amongst others) in the Quentin Tarantino directed western.
What does this mean? It’s not all that shocking that Jackson would be in this film. It needs an older African-American actor comfortable with profanity and Tarantino’s style and Jackson is one of the rare actors that fulfills those characteristics. The role was written with him in mind, based on the script review posted this summer when it leaked, so it would’ve been more of a shocker if someone like Morgan Freeman or Denzel Washington would’ve been cast instead.
That said this looks like it could be the film that might bring Jackson another Oscar nomination; this is shaping up to be a film that dominates the Oscars in 2012 based on the cast alone. Tarantino is on a roll, with Inglourious Basterds a hit both commercially and critically in a genre that has a hard time finding an audience, and if anyone can breathe some new life into the western it could be him.
What do you think? Is Samuel L Jackson the right man for the role? Or do you think someone else should’ve been cast instead? Let us know below.
