Cast of Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ Continues to Grow

My name is Luke and I’m an addict. I can’t get enough Quentin Tarantino. My college senior thesis was an extensive essay analyzing the roles of women in the director’s first four films. Being underage, I snuck into ‘Pulp Fiction’ because I had to see it. Even his weakest movie, ‘Jackie Brown’, is still a five-star film in my book. From dialogue and story to direction and action, I love every aspect of his work – but not enough to read and spoil the leaked script for his latest film, ‘Django Unchained’.

When Tarantino tweeted a picture of the cover of his finished screenplay just before Cannes, distributors went wild. After the success of ‘Inglourious Basterds’, every studio has wanted the distribution rights for Tarantino’s sixth feature-length film (‘Kill Bill’ only counts as one). The script leaked online shortly thereafter, and rumors began flying that Will Smith was going to play the lead role in the Spaghetti Western-inspired revenge-of-the-slave flick. That rumor was quickly debunked, however. Since then, the confirmed casting of major actors has been announced.

Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx will play the titular character, Django, a freed slave who hires a German bounty hunter to help him find his kidnapped wife. Although Foxx has hardly given any noteworthy performances since winning his Oscar for 2004’s ‘Ray’, I trust in Tarantino.

Leonardo DiCaprio will play the villainous plantation owner who’s kidnapped Django’s wife and has plans to enslave Django once more. DiCaprio is one of those phenomenal young actors who hasn’t given a weak performance in over a decade. DiCaprio was rumored to be up for the role of antagonist Hans Landa in Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’, but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts. If that’s the case, it’s great to see him finally join a Tarantino film. Already a regular in Martin Scorsese’s prestigious films, think of the possibilities of having DiCaprio working under Tarantino.

Playing the German bounty hunter, of course, will be Christoph Waltz, winner of the Best Supporting Oscar for that almost-DiCaprio role as the cruel Jew-hunting Nazi. Here’s hoping that Waltz pops up in many future Tarantino flicks, just like the next actor cast.

Samuel L. Jackson will play the DiCaprio plantation’s house slave, a smart, manipulative and outright malicious bad guy that Django must go through to get his revenge and win his wife back.

Rounding out the major casting news so far is Kevin Coster. Joining the ‘Django’ cast just this week, Costner will play DiCaprio’s sadistic slave trainer. Apparently, he trains the slaves to fight in mini gladiator death matches.

The Weinstein Company holds the domestic distribution rights for ‘Django Unchained’. The movie has been slated for a Christmas Day 2012 theatrical release.

7 comments

  1. Jane Morgan

    As soon as scientists figure out how to clone human beings, I’m going to clone Quentin Tarantino twenty-three times, so that we can get one Tarantino movie per month for the next ten thousand years.

    I almost don’t want him to make ‘Kill Bill Vol. 3,’ so that that his post-Django film can be a new IP.

    ‘Django Unchained’ sounds like it has everything I could possibly want in a movie. Revenge, profanity, Christoph Waltz. With a cast and concept this hardcore, the only way Mr. T could get me more excited, would be to include three and a half minutes of lesbian sex.

    If I was in charge of Hollywood, I would give Quentin the ‘Transformers’ reboot. Hard-R, with the robot characters being the only ones with dialogue.

    And, of course, he would be the writer-director of ‘Top Gun 2.’ Just for the symmetry.

    Luke, at the end of your college senior thesis, did you conclude that Quentin Tarantino is awesome, or that Quentin Tarantino is badass?

    • Luke Hickman
      Author

      He’s an awesome badass!

      Being so new on the site, I didn’t know that you were a fellow QT enthusiast. I love it!

      Not sure if you’ve read it or not, but check out a book called “Quentin Tarantino and Philosophy” if you haven’t. It’s bloody brilliant – especially the ‘Kill Bill’ bits!

  2. Wyatt

    I also read the “leaked” script and was blown away by it. I can’t wait to see this movie but I wasn’t too thrill that Foxx was cast as Django, was hoping someone like Anthony Mackey would get the role he’s younger and bigger, physically I mean, than Foxx.

    I was a bit surprised that Costner was cast as the evil Ace Woody but I’m sure QT can make him believable as the slave trainer/killer.

    • QT loves going against type. love that costner is doing it. i have had a problem with leo since titanic as i still see him as that kid on growing pains. is a fine actor and i m sure he will be great in this. i do like leo , dont get me wrong. 🙂

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