A couple weeks ago, we reported on rumours that Quentin Tarantino wanted Leonardo DiCaprio for his upcoming western, Django Unchained. At that time, while it seemed Quentin was interested in the actor, there was absolutely no info on whether DiCaprio reciprocated that, or indeed whether there was even the possibility he’d be able to fit it into his busy schedule.
However now Deadline reports that Leo is indeed in talks for the movie. The actor would play villain Calvin Candie in Django Unchained, who operates a Mississippi plantation called Candyland, where he pits male slaves against each other in brutal fights to the death, when he isn’t busy sexually exploiting female slaves, that is. He sounds delightful!
Will Smith is still in the mix to play the title character (although Tarantino is meeting the likes of Idris Elba in case the Fresh Prince passes – and Deadline says DiCaprio is more likely to sign on that Smith is), a freed slave in the Old West who hires a German bounty hunter to find his missing wife. Samuel L. Jackson is circling the role of Calvin Candie’s house slave, while Christoph Waltz is likely to play the bounty hunter. However at the moment, nobody has officially been cast.
Apparently in the script, DiCaprio and Jackson’s character were supposed to have grown up side-by-side, but with one considerably older than the other, that will have to change if Leo comes onboard.