Before I write anything else, it should be prefaced with the fact that at the time nothing below has been confirmed, but the rumour has been doing the rounds of the web, and there does seem to be some substance to it. This latest rumour suggests that director Quentin Tarantino wants actor Leonardo DiCaprio for his Western Django Unchained.
The actor will reportedly play villain Calvin Candie in Django Unchained, according to Creative Screenwriting’s Jeff Goldsmith, who tweeted, ‘Casting Rumor: Leonardo DiCaprio WILL play villian Calvin Candie in Tarantino’s Django Unchained! QT wanted him for I.B. & now has him! #fb’
While that would have been enough to set the fires burning anyway, credence to the idea was lent via another tweet from Variety’s Jeff Sneider, who said he heard the same rumour last week, but hadn’t been able to confirm it.
This is just the latest casting rumor surrounding Django Unchained. A report from earlier this month revealed Will Smith is up for the Django role, a freed slave in the Old West who hires a German bounty hunter to find his missing wife. Samuel L. Jackson is reportedly circling the role of Calvin Candie’s house slave, while Christoph Waltz may play the bounty hunter. However at the moment, nobody has officially been cast.
It’s also worth noting that even if Tarantino want DiCaprio, Leo is a busy man and may not be able to fit it in.