With the Django Unchained script finished, Quentin Tarantino‘s next film is starting to pick up the pace. We already know that Christoph Waltz is attached and today THR brings us exciting news that Will Smith is being eyed for the film. If he were to join, he’d take on the lead role of Django, “a freed slave who seeks to reunite with his slave wife, a journey that will see him team with a German bounty hunter to take down an evil plantation owner”.
Many are commenting that the script isn’t the easiest sell and it’s also a bit controversial, so it would make sense to try and bring in one of the most profitable movie stars in the world to help sell the film. Also, if Smith were to join, the project would be instantly greenlit, which is of course what Tarantino needs right now.
Apparently Smith hasn’t read the script nor has the part been offered to him but it’s confirmed that Tarantino does want him in the film and in the lead role. Another Tarantino stalwart, Samuel L. Jackson, is also circling a role, he’s looking to play “the house slave to the bad guy, Monsieur Calvin Candie.”
The only forseeable problem with Smith, is his schedule. The actor is currently at work on Men In Black III and is also looking to star in M. Night Shyamalan‘s One Thousand A.E. Then there’s the Wachowski‘s modern day Robin Hood movie he’s interested in. So he’s got a lot on his plate. Who knows if he’ll have time for this.
Either way, you can be sure QT’s next will be a wildly entertaining film and will likely consist of a pretty awesome cast.