Having confirmed a week ago that Jamie Foxx was in talks to join Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz in Quentin Tarantino‘s “neo-western” (whatever that means), Django Unchained, it looks like the Ray Oscar-winner might now be the front-runner for the title role of the ex-slave-turned-bounty hunter.
The Playlist delves into reports from Showbiz 411 which claim that Will Smith is looking less and less like the Tarantino’s man and that Foxx is edging closer to taking the role. For awhile, Rush Hour star Chris Tucker (who appeared in Jackie Brown before contributing indirectly to the director’s famous POV-from-the-trunk shot) was rumored to be in the running, along with The Wire‘s Idris Elba (who managed to act circles around everyone in Thor by simply standing still).
Tarantino somehow brings out the crazy best in his actors, and Foxx has been languishing in celluloid crap for years now (Valentine’s Day, the guilty-pleasure of Law Abiding Citizen, his pointless character in Due Date). We know he has the acting chops and somehow he seems perfect for the hyper-real world of Tarantino’s movies. And he can play weird – remember Wanda from In Living Color?
I’m not surprised Will Smith is bailing out on this, perhaps fearing a foul-mouth monologue in every other scene or maybe balking at the level of violence there’d better damn well be included. Fans will have their preferences (and I’ll agree that it’s time the mighty Elba’s day in the spotlight came around), but Foxx is a strong choice. He’d be joining DiCaprio as the main villain, slave owner Calvin Candie, the great Waltz as German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultze and Samuel L. Jackson as Candie’s “right-hand man and head house-slave Stephen.”
What do you think of Jamie Foxx in a Tarantino flick? Do you think this film will be as badass as it kinda sounds?