So much for Will Smith: Quentin Tarantino has settled on the man he wants to star in Django Unchained and it’s not the Fresh Prince. Nope, now Jamie Foxx is in negotiations for the lead.
Yes, despite spending weeks trying to lure Smith to star in his tale of a freed slave who goes up against a sadistic plantation owner to rescue his long-lost love, only for the actor to pass on snatching the role, the writer/director has been looking down the list of other possible candidates. And while Idris Elba, Terrence Howard and Chris Tucker all took meetings, it seems that Foxx, who has been mentioned before alongside the others, is the man.
Leonardo DiCaprio is already attached to play the villainous Calvin Candie, while Inglourious Basterds’ Christoph Waltz had the role of Django’s friend and mentor, a German bounty hunter named Dr Schultz, written for him. Fellow QT regular Samuel L Jackson will be Candie’s right-hand man, Stephen.
Tarantino hasn’t yet found the actress he wants to play Broomhilda, the love of Django’s life, though Kerry Washington is one of the names under consideration for that part.
And while Variety can claim credit for digging up some of the additional info, the real kudos for breaking the news about QT’s latest choice must go to top podcast interviewer Jeff Goldsmith, who tweeted word on Tuesday afternoon.