I almost had a heart attack the other day when I read that Kurt Russell has “walked off the set” of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. While I am massively looking forward to Quentin’s foray into western territory regardless of who is in front of the camera, the presence of Kurt definitely sweetened the deal for me. Many were wondering why Kurt really left and what Quentin was going to do about it. Most information pointed towards the part being deleted altogether, as opposed to finding a replacement. Instead, it seems the truth lies somewhere in between. Russell has indeed been replaced, but not how you might think…
Yep, Walton Goggins. Mr. Onanism himself. Isn’t he part of the cast already though? Correct! Kurt Russell was cast as Ace Woody, one of Calvin Candie’s right-hand men. Goggins plays Billy Crash, one of Woody’s underlings. Long story short? The parts will be merged. It is Walton’s lucky day, as his side role has now become a supporting one.
As for Sacha Baron Cohen? No word yet on what will be done with the part of Scotty, but I’m guessing it will be recast with a lesser-known actor. The part is really a glorified cameo and should be easy to replace, unlike Russell’s that was a much larger role. Jonah Hill was QT’s original choice for the role and Cohen the second. It’s hard to say who he will chase after for it now.
I still find it incredibly sad that Russell walked away from this. That said, all accounts now point to there being no bad blood between he and Quentin. For whatever reason, it just didn’t work out this time. Here’s hoping the two get together on another project on down the line.
Now that we’ve blabbered on enough about actors exiting this film, how about an announcement of one joining the production? John Jarrett (Wolf Creek) has come on board the project. No official word has been given as to what role he is playing, but considering there is a group of Aussie outlaws in the film…well, I think we can guess where he’ll be. This band of Outback misfits consist of three characters: Jano, Roy, and Floyd.
Anthony LaPaglia was cast as Jano and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was previously announced as playing his younger brother Roy. To my knowledge, no one has been mentioned yet in reference to the part of Floyd. JGL jumped ship a bit back due to scheduling conflicts. Funnily enough, IMDB now lists LaPaglia as playing Roy. Has Anthony switched parts and Jarrett been cast as the older brother? Likely. Or is Jarret playing Floyd and IMDB has no clue what they are talking about? Equally likely. Either way, it’s nice to see Quentin finally get to work with another actor he has admired for years.
Regardless of the comings and goings of a few actors, Django Unchained continues its Louisiana shoot and should still hit theaters on time this December.
Source | AICN, The Playlist