Sacha Baron Cohen has broken free from Quentin Tarantino’s latest.
Though previously attached to star in the role of Scotty Harmony in the director’s Civil War-era thriller “Django Unchained,” Cohen stated on the “Howard Stern Show” yesterday (thanks to Cinemapulse for the heads up) that he would no longer be appearing in the film due to scheduling conflicts with his upcoming comedy “The Dictator.”
“That was going to be a cameo, but I had to drop out because of [‘The Dictator”s] press tour,” Cohen told Stern during the interview.
The Harmony character has been described as a gambler who buys the title character’s wife to keep as a female companion. Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington are attached to star as the central couple alongside a cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell.
Cohen isn’t the first thesp to drop out of the star-studded project; Kevin Costner was previously attached to play the role of Ace Woody before bowing out (Russell subsequently stepped in to take on the part).
Are you sad to hear that Cohen won’t be appearing in the film? What other actor do you think might be a good fit for the role? Sound off in the comments!
“Django Unchained” is slated for release on December 25.
Official “Django Unchained” synopsis:
Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award®-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award®-winner Christoph Waltz).
Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles – dead or alive.Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South’s most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago.
Django andSchultz’s search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Academy Award®-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of “Candyland,” an infamous plantation where slaves are groomed by trainer Ace Woody (Kurt Russell) to battle each other for sport. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Academy Award®-nominee Samuel L. Jackson), Candie’s trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival…