After leaving the production due to a combination of scheduling issues and personal reasons, it now appears as though The Prince of Thieves’ Kevin Costner has been replaced in Django Unchained; the upcoming western from Pulp Fiction writer/director Quentin Tarantino; by none other than Kurt Russell.
Best known as an ‘80s action star, Russell worked with Tarantino on 2007’s Death Proof, and will be re-teaming with the director to play a sadist who trains male slaves to fight one another, in the film about a freed slave (named Django) who takes on a viscous ranch owner (Russell’s boss; who’s being played by Shutter Island’s leonardo DiCaprio) in order to rescue his slave wife.
Jamie Foxx (Ray) is set to star as the titular slave, alongside Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds); as a German bounty hunter who aids Django in his quest; Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction); as DiCaprio’s right-hand-slave; and Deadwood’s Gerald McRaney (in an unknown role), in the film that’s due to be released on Christmas day (December 25th) 2012 in the US, before making its UK release date the following day (Boxing Day/December 26th, 2012).
Matt Wheeldon.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
