DETAILS ON QT’S NEWEST

It sounds pretty great!

Normally I'm kind of leery when it comes to typecasting(especially when it comes to an actor who is really majorly known for one thing), but directing Waltz's Landa persona as a tutor for a freed slave is interesting.  

Sounds like a Blaxploitation film mated with a Spaghetti Western. I'm down with that (being a bigger fan of the former more than the latter, some small part of me would like this to be called: Black Django). I'll be very interested to see who gets cast in the lead.

P.S., extra points for Tarantino if he finds out whatever fast food joint John Daniels is working at and gives him a role in this film.

Love the idea, and of course new QT is always welcome. My only concern is that Basterds is such a masterpiece, I'm nervous that there's no way this can top the last one. I know, that's a silly (maybe irrelevant) argument, but I love the idea so much that I just want his films to keep getting better and better. Impossible perhaps, but if it does, we'll all shit ourselves with joy.

Well, when Jackie Brown came out and under-performed, I recall it being sort of gently pawned off as an inferior follow-up to Pulp Fiction and something meant to play to black audiences only. Seriously, I think it was on E! where some goofy looking white critic said that, and the co-host, who was black, noticeably bristled. I don't know why I remember that, maybe because it was so fucking stupid and offensive, and because I was in love the film and it remains my favorite in his oeuvre.

I think people have evolved a bit since then, but like Jackie Brown, I imagine that along with the lead, this picture is going to have a good number of black actors, front and center.

Samuel L. Jackson has to be locked up for the lead, right? Otherwise, it would be fun seeing someone like Anthony Mackie put the righteous smack-down on some prejudiced ass. Whatever the case, I am so giddy right now. Now I know what to watch tonight (Django on Instant).

Edit: A commenter on the main page suggested Eddie Murphy for the lead, which would be genius.

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Originally Posted by Pop Zeus My only concern is that Basterds is such a masterpiece, I'm nervous that there's no way this can top the last one.

Hm. I loved INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, but I nevertheless think there is still plenty of room for Tarantino to mature and develop as a cinematic artist. The shadow BASTERDS casts isn't that massive. I have no idea whether DJANGO UNCHAINED will be better than BASTERDS or not, but it nevertheless sounds pretty promising.

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Originally Posted by Agentsands77 

Hm. I loved INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, but I nevertheless think there is still plenty of room for Tarantino to mature and develop as a cinematic artist. The shadow BASTERDS casts isn't that massive. I have no idea whether DJANGO UNCHAINED will be better than BASTERDS or not, but it nevertheless sounds pretty promising.

It's only because the films are both social vengeance films on one level that I'm nervous. Jews>Nazis. Slaves>Owners. The thematic overlap has me wondering what possible surprises Tarantino has got up his sleeve. Then again, Kill Bill was a vengeanace picture and look how different that is from IB. Don't get me wrong, QT's earned a lifetime pass from me. I just want DJANGO UNCHAINED to be as great as some of my favorite westerns.
 

double post

ETA: I'd love to Eddie Murphy in this. It would be the ultimate career resuscitation. I guess it all depends on how old Django is as written. That might make me think Jackson might be too old for the role. Murphy might not be much younger but that guy's probably in great shape.

I second that Eddie Murphy suggestion. As much as I love Sam Jackson with Quentin, I'd much rather watch Murphy in this.

Just to see what it would look like, really. I have no doubts Eddie could bring it if he felt like giving a shit at some time in his career now.

First, let me say I'd love to see this and have complete confidence that QT would make this a layered film - BASTERDS has its plot (what you talk about when someone asks, "What's it about?") and it has its subtext and other meanings going on. However - as we've seen in the news just this year (the fucking Secessionist Ball apologists), the topic of the antebellum south and slavery's absolute evil and core role in the old South's "culture" make for some explosive topics. So I can fully see this one being embraced by folks like CHUD readers but being called an underperformer like JACKIE BROWN for the masses. Race is still a very hot topic in this country (which, IMNSHO, means it's all the more important to explore it via art) and many Americans get squeamish when talking about, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if this film (assuming it actually gets made and released) is a "disappointment" compared to the way BASTERDS was embraced and performed, BO-wise.

Is anyone getting a little tired of revenge being the mechanism that drives the story in Quentin's films? What is he, Chan Wook-Park?

I...Love the Idea of a...QT Revenge Western.  Please neither, Samuel L. Jackson or Eddie Murphy.  I would definitely go for...Dennis Haysbert, along with...WALTZing Christoph!

Paging LeVar Burton.

Revenge is such a tired and the for the most part, artificial conceit. How many people out there that have been wronged horribly are really gunning for revenge? I don't need my films realistic god knows, but it's just something I've seen so many times now I'm tired of it. There are so many other human emotions that can drive an exciting story that is just seems lazy. And QT has done this twice now, 4 times if you count KILL BILL as two movies and factor in the fact that revenge is also a secondary motive in JACKIE BROWN. 

Sebastian OB, Revenge is a dish best served cold.  If you KHANt, get into the revenge concept, maybe you should put your lack of interest on the...QT!

You are what is wrong with cinema, Duke Fleed.

Sebastian OB, Me?  I am not even in...Hollywood!  That one of the most popular genres, features...Superheroes, is the concept of technology, finally catching up with the...Greatness of Comic Book Writing!  In the 70's to mid 80's the only Superhero films were...Superman, Superman II and Superman III.  Swamp Thing was also adapted quite well, but it would not be confused with a box office hit.  Batman and Batman Returns were...Super Box Office Hits, but they arrived on the silver screen, in 1989, and 1992!  It wasn't until the failure of Batman and Robin in 1997, and the rise of Marvel's Blade, that the Superhero Genre, really took flight.  I...Love, revenge films, and have been watching them ever since...The Shaw Bros Shaolin Handlock!

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Originally Posted by Tomas Mejor 

Paging LeVar Burton.

I'd pay triple to see that.

I hope he at least gets Fred Williamson or Jim Brown to be in it. Anyone remember Take a Hard Ride?

Love the Murphy idea, but would love to see someone like the criminally underappreciated Chiwetel Ejiofor get a juicy high profile role like this.

As for all the revenge films, if he keeps mixing things up as much as he has been, I'll never get sick of it. Same goes for the Coens and 1/3 of their films involving a big bag o' cash.

As long as Yaphet Kotto is still drawing breath, he had better show the fuck up in this.

Wouldn't it be awesome if Tarantino managed to get Morricone to write one last western score for this? Pretty please? He's not on a "This must be out in a year!" tear like Basterds, so surely there's time? Please with sugar on top?

Agreed with Morricone. That would be great. Even if he doesn't get him, I'm sure more of his old cues will pop up.

Yaphet Kotto and LaVar Burton are my favorite suggestions so far.

Yaphett koto. in a QT picture would be awesome. How about some Bill Duke? i mean, you know Ving Rhames and Sam Jackson are on the short list somewhere in the cast...

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Originally Posted by Sebastian OB 

What is he, Chan Wook-Park?

 

If only.
 

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Originally Posted by Greg Clark 

Wouldn't it be awesome if Tarantino managed to get Morricone to write one last western score for this? Pretty please? He's not on a "This must be out in a year!" tear like Basterds, so surely there's time? Please with sugar on top?

It would be wonderful, if so. Tarantino's hodge-podge scores have a neat quality, but I'd love to see him step away from that and do a film with a more unified score, and, of course, the only person really right for the job would be Morricone.

What sounds really interesting on this, so far, is that the vengeance seeker is male, which is a change of pace for Tarantino, assuming that he actually is the lead. I could very well imagine that the wife he's searching for is as much a main character though. Either way, bring it on. To paraphrase Dave Chappelle, watching slave owners getting murdered is awesome.

What's great about Tarantino is that we could mention any black actor -any!- for whatever role in Django Unchained, and it would be awesome choice because it's simply Tarantino.

Watch:

He even got a good little performance out of Chris Tucker. As long as the lead isn't Eli Roth I think we're safe in whatever choice he makes.

*he couldn't do shit for the guy who played Urkel though I don't think, saw him in one of those Megabeast vs. Supermonster movies recently and he's pretty horrid. And I'm sure that director DEMANDS the best from his actors!

Jaleel White held a clipboard, nodded his head; and said lines like "No problem.", "Got it!", and "Show's about to go on!" convincingly as an assistant stage manager in Dreamgirls!

But on a serious note, I think the reason why we always throw every and any performer's name in Tarantino's casting hat is because I never hear any horror stories behind the scenes of any of his movies. The spectrum is very wide with a huge variety of actors, and they all seem to be in understanding to be in total service of what he wants. There's never any sort of Lily Tomlin/David O. Russell level blowup on any of his sets. He even got Mike Myers to put aside his insecure ego and kind of stretch a little bit. While he's not the best example of what I'm talking about, he ended up selling the shit out of my favorite line in IB:

"We have all of our rotten eggs in one basket. The objective? Blow up the basket."

And one last thing, one of the projects that has ended up dying on the vine that I was looking forward to was Lee Daniels' Martin Luthor King Jr. Selma biopic; solely because it was set to have Hugh Jackman play against type as the pivotal role of "Racist Sheriff".

Since that's never going to happen, I'm hoping for Hugh Jackman to get cast in the pivotal role of "Racist Slaveowner" in this project.

This movie promises to be QT's most N-wordiest film yet!

Interesting casting ideas, although Murphy and Jackson both seem way too old for the lead.

I just hope that the Treat Williams rumor holds up. Afterall, it's like the old schoolyard song went...TREAT WILLIAMS GOTTA EAT.

Eli Roth and that novelty Mike Myers cameo are black marks on Tarantino's casting record in my book. But there's no chance he's not going to pull out something special for the lead role in this one. After the whole Christoph Waltz thing I almost hope he casts someone we've never even heard of.

It seems a little pointless to dream cast the lead at this point considering we don't know the age of the character, but assuming it's not an older character of the Jackson, Murphy stripe (the latter of which would be amazing), or a really young budding adult, then I second the hope for Chiwetel Ejiofor. Dude's a natural born leading man, and as Redbelt attests, he can play a righteous badass of the highest quality.

As to the likely hood of the character's age, I can't really see Tarantino going for the younger type. That's a Hollywood trope that he's never gone with. The possibility of skewering older isn't that far-fetched, considering that Jackie Brown not only stars a black actress in her late forties, who's star faded in the seventies, but its also one of the better movies, I think, about aging. That being said, it might seem a little odd if someone like Murphy or Jackson spent part of the movie being schooled by Christophe Waltz, clearly the younger man than either. But, again, at this point who knows.

I third the Chiwetel Ejiofor suggestion. One, because he's amazing, and two, because I want to have his children. Also, I would just like to point out that Tarantino's career-rejuvenation mojo powers are highly exaggerated. Ask Daryl Hannah or David Carradine (via ouija), or fuck, Uma Thurman, who essentially has no career outside of Tarantino's stable.

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Originally Posted by Walker 

 

Since that's never going to happen, I'm hoping for Hugh Jackman to get cast in the pivotal role of "Racist Slaveowner" in this project.

I feel like you can just say Slave Owner. I figured it's pretty good odds that he is racist.

Yeah, but I'd chalk that up to bad decision making on their part. Except for Hannah, both Carradine and Thurman (and Robert Forster, for that matter) showed up in a bunch of movies, with Thurman head lining most of them. The fact that they weren't any good accounts for a lack of sustained rejuvination, I'd say. John Travolta got lucky in taking Get Shorty almost immediately after Pulp Fiction (only due, apparently, to Tarantino telling him not to pass on it), b/c if he hadn't he probably would have fallen back into C-list status. Lord knows the majority of roles he's taken since haven't done him any favors (save Face-Off, which is too fun to hold against him).

Pam Grier was never going to start headlining films again, no matter how good she was in Jackie Brown, but at least she hasn't embarrassed herself since.

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Originally Posted by Waaaaaaaalt 

I feel like you can just say Slave Owner. I figured it's pretty good odds that he is racist.

One person's redudancy is another person's cherry on top.

Django Unleashed

The title is awesome twice-over.......

1. The obvious connection to the classic spaghetti western.

2. That "Django" is Romani for "I Awake".

A slave-oriented spaghetti western called I Awake Unchained? Badass!

Nice catch.

I'm super excited about this, if only because I think QT is the only one in Hollywood interested in using Waltz properly.

My DJANGO picks:

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Idris Elba

J. August Richards

Ejiofor and Elba are my top two picks.  I'm hoping Michael Jai White, Sam Jackson, and a bevvy of Blaxsploitation stars (Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, etc.) get some roles as well.  My spaghetti western alumni favorites for roles would be Franco Nero, Tomas Milian, and Terence Hill.  Here's hoping the Nero, Keith Carradine, and Treat Williams rumors are true................................though I am thinking it might be considering the "plot" that was tacked on with that rumor involved a slave being taken in by a trip of bounty hunters.  So Waltz and two of them as the hunters................and the third as the villain, maybe?

Whoever ends up in this, I'm sure they will be fantastic in the roles that Quentin casts them.  It's just fan to speculate.

I love that Woodward couldn't stop himself from suggesting the only prominent black guy in the Whedonverse for the role.

Selfish request: get Terry Crewes in this. I have a feeling that a Crewes/Tarantino marriage would be some kind of magic.

Well, I mean he also happens to be a pretty talented actor.

Who, Richards? He's okay. He's never done anything that suggests he'd be good in such a high-profile role.

Quentin owes Michael Jai White. Now's the time to make good.

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Originally Posted by MichaelM 

Race is still a very hot topic in this country (which, IMNSHO, means it's all the more important to explore it via art) and many Americans get squeamish when talking about...

Tarantino is well loved (and casts MANY minorities in rolls), but I wonder how the black community will feel about a white film-maker covering such provocative territory. I suppose Craig Brewer might be a litmus, but DJANGO UNCHAINED's milieu, time period, and plot sounds much more rife with controversy than anything I recall lately (at least since the Grindhouse era).

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Originally Posted by Walker 

Quentin owes Michael Jai White.

Yes, yes he does.

I was referring to Chiwetel Ejiofor.

I originally came in here to support Anthony Mackie, because he was the first person I immediately thought of when casting a lead in this project, but he seems like the black Jeremy Renner at the moment with fancasting. All thanks to The Hurt Locker.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walker 

Quentin owes Michael Jai White. Now's the time to make good.

But I did not think of that. This would be amazing. And hearing Michael in interviews, I'd really hope for it to happen. The guy's great.

Treat Williams needs something like this. And I can TOTALLY see Keith Carradine channeling Henry-Fonda-in-Once-Upon-a-Time-in-the-West as a slave owner.

Really, just a lot of good options out there. As someone said, anyone would be great, solely because it's a Tarantino.