ScreenCrave.com » Quentin Tarantino

Kurt Russell And Sacha Baron Cohen Quit ‘Django Unchained’

Travis Woods — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:25:14 +0000

It would seem that, in terms of casting, Quentin Tarantino just can’t catch a break lately. His latest film, Django Unchained, has been beset with actor dropouts almost as soon as casting for the spaghetti western began—first, Kevin Costner was attached to star as the villainous Ace Woody before dropping out and being replaced by Kurt Russell, then Joseph Gordon-Levitt bailed to film his directorial debut. Now, Kurt Russell and Sacha Baron Cohen are also bailing on the project, as well.

During a recent promotion tour for The Dictator, Sacha Baron Cohen told Howard Stern that he had to drop out of Django Unchained in order to do the press for The Dictator. Cohen had originally been set to play Scotty Harmony, a gambler who purchases Django’s (Jamie Foxx) wife as a prostitute. While the loss of Cohen is surely inconvenient for Tarantino (who had originally set Jonah Hill for the role), it’s not exactly devastating, as the role Scott Harmony is a small one.

That said, Kurt Russell’s exit spells far larger problems for the production. Russell had been set to play Ace Woody, a slave trainer for the film’s primary antagonist, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). No reason has yet been given for Russell’s abrupt exit from the film, which is scheduled for a Christmas Day release. It is also unclear if, in the wake of this casting news, Django Unchained will even be able to meet its own release date.

Russell had previously worked with Tarantino on Death Proof, the director’s half of the Grindhouse double feature. Django Unchained stars (for the moment, anyway) Jaime Foxx and Christoph Waltz as a freed slave and a bounty hunter, respectively, who plan to rescue Django’s wife from Calvin Candie.

What do you think of the Django news?

Source: Cinema Blend

First Official Pictures From Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ Have Been Released

Travis Woods — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:38:00 +0000

April has been good to Quentin Tarantino fans. After a long drought of any new information or media related to the director’s upcoming take on the spaghetti western, Django Unchained, in recent weeks we’ve received both an official, Saul Bass-influenced poster, as well as an official plot summary. Now, we’ve got the first official pictures from the production, featuring Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx as the film’s heroes, and Leonardo DiCaprio as a villainous plantation and slave owner.

While Waltz and Foxx both look just fine, it’s DiCaprio whose look stands out—with his squinty, brow-furrowed scowl and his stubbly beard, it’s a new look for… actually, it’s the exact same thing you’ve seen DiCaprio do in almost every film he’s starred in for the past 10 years. Scowl? Check. Furrowed brow? Check. Odd, wispy facial hair? Check. But hey, now he has an ascot and a cigarette holder, so that’s something. And a hammer. He didn’t have a hammer in Inception, did he? Pretty sure he was hammer-less. Thus, an actor evolves!

In other Django news, Foxx expanded upon the DiCaprio’s villain, Calvin Candie, with Entertainment Weekly:

Candie is a business man who owns a plantation called Candie Land, and that’s where my wife ends up being… we have to get in good with Candie, by me playing a valet for Christoph’s character.

Django Unchained concerns the story of Django (Foxx), and escaped slave, who teams up with a bounty hunter (Waltz), to rescue Django’s wife from Candie. The film is set for a Christmas 2012 release.

Will you be seeing Django Unchained?

Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ Full Plot Summary Has Been Released

Travis Woods — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:22:50 +0000

It’s been a big week for Quentin Tarantino fans—after a long dry spell of no new information from the set of the hotshot director’s newest film, the spaghetti western-influenced Django Unchained, this week has been a veritable free-for-all of new trivia by comparison. First, there was the fantastic Saul Bass-esque teaser poster for the film; today, The Weinstein Company has released an official, 282 word plot summary for the mysterious new movie.

While the basic plot details of Django Unchained have been known for months, the plot summary offers a far greater depth and detailing of plot specifics than had been previously known. Further, it makes the film sound absolutely insane:

Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award®-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award®-winner Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles – dead or alive.

Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South’s most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago.

Django and Schultz’s search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Academy Award®-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of “Candyland,” an infamous plantation where slaves are groomed by trainer Ace Woody (Kurt Russell) to battle each other for sport. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Academy Award®-nominee Samuel L. Jackson), Candie’s trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival…

Written and directed by Academy Award®-winner Quentin Tarantino, DJANGO UNCHAINED is produced by Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone. The executive producers are Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Michael Shamberg, Shannon McIntosh, and James Skotchdopole. DJANGO UNCHAINED will be released in the U.S. on December 25, 2012, and internationally by Sony Pictures.

So there you have it—bounty hunting, battles to the death for sport, Christoph Waltz gliding over more Tarantino dialogue, and more anarchic Tarantino revisionism of history, as previously seen/enjoyed in Inglourious Basterds.

In addition to Foxx, Waltz, Di Caprio, Jackson, and Washington, Django Unchained co-stars Garrett Dillahunt, Walton Goggins, RZA, M.C. Gainey, Dennis Christopher, Gerald McRaney, Laura Cayouette, Don Johnson, Tom Savini, and Sacha Baron Cohen. The presence of cinema badass Kurt Russell alone may make Django worth the price of admission; further, the casting of Don Johnson seems to be another example of Tarantino’s “rescue casting” (a la John Travolta and Robert Forster) that somehow always leads to a great performance.

Will you be seeing Django Unchained?

Source: Collider

Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ Now Has An Official Poster

Travis Woods — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:09:35 +0000

Aside from the occasional tidpit about casting, along with the barest examples of a plot outline, not much news has eked out from the set of Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming Civil War-era take on Spaghetti Westerns, Django Unchained (Tarantino is calling is a “Southern”). Now, we can finally take hold of something both official and tangible from Django Unchained—the film has finally received an official poster. Check out the full sheet below!

The poster, heavily influenced by the classic, minimalist work of poster artist Saul Bass, shows us the silhouettes of two men, under the broken link of a chain, which is pretty much in keeping with what we know of the film’s plot: Django (Jaime Foxx) is a slave freed by King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), who then team up and struggle to free Django’s wife from a plantation-owning villain (Leonardo DiCaprio).

The poster is a unique marketing move on the part of Sony, who Tweeted the image, as “minimalist” isn’t the first word conjured up by anyone when thinking about Hollywood advertising. It’s a poster that offers just enough information—Quentin Tarantino has a new film, it’s out on Christmas, and it looks preternaturally badass—to get movie fans excited. Mission accomplished.

What do you think of the poster? Will you be seeing Django Unchained this Christmas?

Source: /Film

Producer Of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ Provides Update On The Film

Travis Woods — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:33:46 +0000

Aside from some basic plot and casting information, not much is known about Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino’s Civil War-era take on Spaghetti Westerns (he’s calling it a “Southern”), in which Django (Jaime Foxx) is a slave freed by King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), and who struggles to free his wife from a plantation-owning villain (Leonardo DiCaprio). /Film recently spoke to Django Unchained executive producer Michael Shamberg about what’s new with the film.

Tarantino and crew are shooting for a December 25^th release date, which means the heat is on for Tarantino to complete Django Unchained in time. According to Shamberg, he’s already seen some footage and it’s “amazing” (and yes, he has to say that, but I’m still excited):

/Film also points out that Shamberg has previously produced Pulp Fiction, The Big Chill, Reality Bites, A Fish Called Wanda, Out of Sight, and Contagion, which they rightfully note isn’t the worst track record that a producer could have.

Here’s hoping that Django Unchained can live up to the promise and potential that Inglourious Basterds hinted at in its various ‘short story’ set pieces, but only fitfully achieved overall (Quentin Tarantino fans, try not to murder my whole family in the comments section).

What do you think of the Django news?

Mos Def And John Hawkes To Star In ‘Jackie Brown’ Prequel

Travis Woods — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:11:29 +0000

Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, a loving homage to blaxploitation cinema as well as a thoughtful meditation on aging (and maybe kinda sorta his most complete and mature film—Pulp fans, please don’t shoot me), is now getting the prequel treatment… sort of.

It’s like this: Jackie Brown was a loose adaptation of Rum Punch, a 1992 novel by crime writer Elmore Leonard (whose work has also produced such adaptations as Get Shorty and Out of Sight), with Rum Punch being the sequel to a 1978 novel entitled The Switch. And now, The Switch is in development for production, under the shortened moniker, Switch.

Tarantino is not involved, making this more of a semi-prequel, and it will feature John Hawkes and Yasiin Bey (that’s Mos Def to you) portraying the dim-witted Louis Gara and bloodthirsty Ordell Robbie, originally played by Robert De Niro and Sam Jackson, respectively.

In the novel The Switch, Robbie and Gara meet in prison (both are doing time for grand theft auto), and once out, team up to kidnap the wife of a rich Detroit business man. Kinks in the plan develop when the rich hubbie decides he doesn’t want his wife back, forcing Robbie, Gara, and the kidnapped wife to join forces and settle the score.

What do you think of a Jackie Brown prequel?

Source: The AV Club

Quentin Tarantino Announces The Best And Worst Films of 2011

Travis Woods — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:11:24 +0000

Taking a moment from making his highly anticipated new Civil War-era western film, Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino has announced his 11 favorite films of 2011, along with some runner ups, some “nice tries,” as well as the films that he thought were the very worst of 2011. It’s a pretty surprising and contrarian list (the lists that the excellent Drive and the abysmal The Three Musketeers end up on are just, well, shocking). Check it out below.

His best of 2011 are as follows:

1. Midnight In Paris
2. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
3. Moneyball
4. The Skin I Live In
5. X-Men: First Class
6. Young Adult
7. Attack The Block
8. Red State
9. Warrior
10. The Artist / Our Idiot Brother (tie)
11. The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers? X-Men? Really? Sigh. Now check his unranked runner-ups:

50/50
Beginners
Hugo
The Iron Lady
Carnage
Green Hornet
Green Lantern
Captain America
The Descendants
My Week With Marilyn
Fast Five
Tree Of Life
The Hangover Part II
Mission Impossible 4
The Beaver
Contagion
The Sitter
War Horse

Ok, ok, this is a list I can understand, Green Hornet and Green Lantern excepted. But now, the smugly-titled “Nice Try” list:

Drive
Hanna
Drive Angry
Real Steel

Maybe the greatness of Drive came a little too close to home for QT? However, his worst of 2011 is pretty spot-on:

Sucker Punch
Potiche (Trophy Wife)
Miral
Insidious
Rampart
Straw Dogs
Paranormal Activity 3
Meek’s Cutoff

What do you think of Tarantino’s picks?

Source: The Tarantino Archive

L.A. Residents: The Wright Stuff III December 9-16

Damon Houx — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:58:02 +0000

If you live in Los Angeles, you’ve probably heard of the New Beverly. Co-owned by Quentin Tarantino, it’s one of the city of Angels finest repertory houses. Many celebrities, including Tarantino, Eli Roth, Diablo Cody, Seth Green, and Patton Oswalt have held festivals there, but Edgar Wright has now done three, and for the third one it’s got a twist: instead of showing his favorite movies, he’s showing films that he’s never seen before.

From Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times to The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the Eighth Dimension, these are all films that fell threw Wright’s cracks of cinema knowledge. Here’s the line-up with special guests:

Friday, Dec. 9: 7:30 pm – The Girl Can’t Help It 9:40 pm – Get Crazy – hosted by Edgar Wright & Allan Arkush (Schedule permitting)

Saturday, Dec. 10: 7:00 pm – Steamboat Bill, Jr. 8:40 pm – Modern Times 10:40 pm – The Bank Dick – hosted by Edgar Wright with Greg Mottola & Bob Wiede

Sunday, Dec. 11: 7:00 pm – The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T 9:00 pm – Kwaidan – hosted by Edgar Wright, Patton Oswalt & John Landis.

Monday, Dec. 12: 7:30 pm – The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 9:30 pm – Chungking Express – hosted by Edgar Wright & TBA.

Tuesday, Dec. 13: 7:30 pm – White Heat – 9:55 pm Throne of Blood -hosted by Edgar Wright & Rian Johnson.

Wednesday, Dec. 14: 7:30 pm – The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – 10:00 pm Ride the High Country – hosted by Edgar Wright, Peter Bogdanovich & Joe Carnahan.

Thursday, Dec. 15: 7:30 pm – To Be or Not to Be 9:40 pm – The Bad News Bears – hosted by Edgar Wright, Leonard Maltin, Larry Karaszewski & Doug Benson.

Friday, Dec. 16: 7:30 pm – Hickey & Boggs 9:50 pm – Cutter’s Way – hosted by Edgar Wright, Elvis Mitchell & Josh Olson.

Friday, Dec. 16: Midnite – The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension – hosted by Edgar Wright & Kevin Smith.

And here’s the full poster for the event:

The festival is exciting for a number of different reasons, but – most inportantly – the films, the guests, and the chance to see them all on 35 mm, as was originally intended. Wright asked for help assemblign the double features out of a list of over a hundred films he hadn’t seen, and the list was weeded down by good double feature suggestions and (sadly) print availability.

Wright took many of his these suggestions from his blog, and you can see that list. Personally, I’m excited as he used my suggestion for a double feature.

How many of these films have you seen?

Sacha Baron Cohen Up for Django Unchained

Damon Houx — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 01:08:19 +0000

Sacha Baron Cohen is a chameleon, so it’s no surprise that Quentin Tarantino has taken a liking to the actor, and according to Variety, Cohen is in “final talks” to appear in Tarantino’s latest Django Unchained. He’d be joining cast members Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson in QT’s western opus.

According to Variety it’s a small but important role, and as Jonah Hill recently mentioned being unable to appear in the film, so it’s likely the same part. Casting has been steady for the last month or two, with the film filling out nicely. Django Unchained is scheduled to start shooting any day now.

Cohen made a name for himself in England with Da Ali G Show, where he played three characters (Ali G, Borat and Bruno), all of whom have had their own spin off movies. The show moved to America, and by the time his film Borat was released, that character and the film became a phenomenon. But his ability to disappear into characters made sure that he wasn’t defined by these comic characters, and he’s been gathering a great career in supporting work in films like Sweeney Todd and Hugo, though he recently wrapped a starring role in the film The Dictator, which he also co-wrote.

Who would you like to see added to the Django Unchained cast?

Kerry Washington Final Major Piece of Django Unchained

Damon Houx — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:41:03 +0000

Deadline has announced that Kerry Washington has secured the role of Bromhilda, the wife of Jamie Foxx‘s titular character in Quentin Tarantino‘s Django Unchained. And with that it looks like the main roles are now locked up, with players like Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kurt Russell in place.

Word was that the role was hard to lock down because it requires a lot of the actress – on top of playing a slave. Supposedly Tarantino flirted with hiring an unknown, but now Washington has it.

Washington’s career path has had its ups and downs. Though she’s been involved with some high profile mainstream films, like Save the Last Dance, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Fantastic Four, she’s always played a love interest or secondary character. She’s also been in picutres like Ray and Last King of Scotland where she’s been good support, but rarely the center of attention. Recently she appeared in a Tyler Perry film, and has been working, but this seems like a chance for her to break bigger.

Django Unchained should start shooting in January with a Christmas 2012 release date. With DiCaprio’s The Great Gatsby due around the same time, we may see a picture blink. It’s doubtful it will be Quentin’s.

Do you have a favorite Kerry Washington performance?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Talking About Django Unchained

Damon Houx — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:49:13 +0000

Variety is reporting that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is “in talks” for Quentin Tarantino‘s Django Unchained. Though casting can go into a film’s shooting schedule, the film is set for a January start date, and “in talks” usually means that it’s going to happen. There may be some nasty scheduling conflicts, but those can often be worked out.

Gordon-Levitt’s career is stunning at this point. The one time sitcom actor reinvented himself as an indie darling, and with a number of smaller films has turned himself into a minor star (he’s the lead in next year’s Premium Rush), and someone who’s worked repeatedly with Christopher Nolan. Working with Tarantino – who hasn’t used a lot of well known young actors – is a real coup for the actor, and suggests that he will be working for a long time.

And with Don Johnson, Kurt Russell, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and many more, it’s a good cast as well. Django Unchained is re in pre-production right now, we know that because Samuel L. Jackson tweeted this picture from his wig fitting:

The film is scheduled for a Christmas 2012 launch. There’s been some rumblings that it may conflict with the release of Baz Lurhman’s The Great Gatsby 0 which also stars Leo – but no one’s blinked just yet.

So far, what’s your favorite Joseph Gordon-Levitt role? (I’m going Brick)

Don Johnson Is Joining ‘Django Unchained’

Travis Woods — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:30:04 +0000

Well, the casting news for Quentin Tarantino’s highly anticipated Civil War epic, Django Unchained, just keeps on coming. After announcing that Jamie Foxx would nab the hero role, and that Christoph Waltz would join him as King Shultz (a “dentist turned bounty hunter”), we’ve learned that Sam Jackson, Dennis Christopher, Gerald McRaney and M.C. Gainey would all be in the film. Even Kevin Costner was going to show up as an evil slave trainer, before having to drop out due to his commitments to The Hatfields and the McCoys, leaving Kurt Russell to take his place. And now another addition to the cast has taken place, one that will satiate all manner of Miami Vice fans.

That’s right, Don Johnson, who, while not being able to nab Costner’s slave trainer role, will “play a totally different, but still nasty character.” Which is awesome, and one hopes that Johnson will somehow find a way to work in his trademark stubble, pastel shirts, and not-all-that-great acting into the upcoming Tarantino flick.

It was announced today that Johnson will be portraying “Spencer Bennett, a plantation owner who runs a string of ‘ponies’ — that is, pretty, young female slaves.” Apparently, this is a small role, but it will “factor into one of the film’s early sequences,” when Django and King Schultz join forces.

Django Unchained is set for a Christmas 2012 release.

What do you think of the Django Unchained news?

Source: /Film

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