Quentin Tarantino just can’t seem to catch a break in the casting department lately.
A day after news that Sacha Baron Cohen would no longer be appearing in the writer/director’s upcoming Civil War-era thriller “Django Unchained,” reports now assert that Kurt Russell, who was to play the role of villainous slave trainer Ace Woody, has also backed out of the film for unknown reasons. Even worse, he had originally come on to replace Kevin Costner, who exited the project back in September. So what’s an auteur to do?
Get rid of the part altogether, apparently.
According to Ain’t It Cool News, Tarantino will not be re-casting the role a second time; instead, TV fave Walton Goggins (“The Shield,” “Justified”) will be taking up the slack by having his part in the film (that of an “equally nasty” plantation henchman) expanded to make up for the loss. Of course, given that the film is already shooting in New Orleans, Russell’s departure couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The original news was broken by Variety reporter Jeff Sneider on his Twitter feed.
So, are you disappointed that Russell dropped out? Sound off in the comments!
“Django Unchained” is slated for release on December 25.
Official 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…