Liam Hemsworth Eyed For Lead Role In 'INDEPENDENCE DAY' Sequel

The Wrap reports that Hunger Games actor Liam Hemsworth has been offered the lead in Roland Emmerich's sequel to Independence Day.

Will Smith was in talks to return but ultimately decide to pass on sequel while Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman are expected to reprise their roles.

Fantastic Four's Michael B. Jordan is said to be rumored for another lead role in the film.



SOURCE: THE WRAP

New Names Linked For SUICIDE SQUAD; Karl Urban And Jason Clarke In The Mix For Flagg And Deathstroke

A new crop of names are being linked for roles in David Ayer's Suicide Squad via JoBlo.

It looks like there is a fifth actor being looked at for the role of Rick Flagg, and it's Dredd himself Karl Urban. You might remember it was only a couple of days ago that Karl was being linked for the villain role in Aquaman. I'm sure we could be hearing even more actors but Karl is an interesting addition to the mix of names.

I have my own thoughts why so many actors are passing on this part.

The role of Flagg was originally alluring to Tom Hardy before the part was scaled back in Ayer's rewrites and the role could be a lot more minor than people are expecting it to be. Basically, they're looking at big names but the part doesn't seem to have enough bite to attract the level of actors they want for it.

Flagg could also be off-putting to a lot of these candidates mostly because it could kill their shot at a leading superhero franchise. Marvel usually avoids casting actors who have been apart of DC films and taking the role could nix franchise potential in the DC side as well.

Again, from what I've been hearing Flagg might not even be in sequels, the role is pretty minor compared to the comics and this could be a tough sell to rising actors like Jake Gyllenhaal (already passed), Jon Bernthal and even Joel Edgerton.

Tom, Jake and Joel had been linked for Marvel Studios franchise leads, so it's unlikely we'd see them taking DC scraps which Flagg is starting to look like.

JoBlo is affirming talk that Deathstroke is indeed in the film but won't be on the actual team.

Joe Manganiello is said to the Ayer's first choice as he previously worked with Ayer on Sabotage.

Aussie Jason Clarke is also being considered for the role.

It's not hard to see why the studio would want to have Clarke play the role having a huge breakout hit with Dawn of the Planet of The Apes last summer. He's also playing the new John Connor this year in Terminator: Genisys opposite Captain Boomerang's Jai Courtney. 

The role itself could end-up becoming one of the more important characters moving forward into the DCCU, as there is crossover potential with the Batman films along with a solo film which had been developed and produced by David Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins).

Other actors such as Ed Harris (The Rock, A History of Violence, Enemy At The Gates), Gary Sinise (Forest Gump) and Max Martini (Sabotage, Pacific Rim, The Unit) are linked for roles but those are considered spoilers, feel free to check out the link to have some of the film's plot ruined.

Production is expected to begin in April at Pinewood Studios, Toronto with a release date of August 5th, 2016.

SOURCE: JOBLO

Joel Edgerton And Jon Bernthal Up For Flagg Role In SUICIDE SQUAD; Joe Manganiello Playing DEATHSTROKE?

There's a whole heap of casting rumors concerning Suicide Squad coming out online today.

The first one comes from Cinema Blend, who are saying that actors Joel Edgerton (Exodus, Zero Dark Thirty, Warrior, The Great Gatsby) and Jon Bernthal (Fury, Wolf of Wall Street, Walking Dead) are in the mix to replace Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg.

Out of the two I'd say Bernthal is the better fit since he worked with director David Ayer in Fury and co-starred with Margot Robbie in Warner Bros' The Wolf of Wall Street. Plus, he's been a much more consistent actor than Joel and Flagg could be right for him.

Jake Gyllenhaal had been offered the role recently but passed on it, and I don't blame him. It's been said the role has been cutdown a lot from Ayer's rewrites and likely won't have as much screen time as other characters in the film.

Joe almost played Superman and Batman, might as well play Deathstroke.

Another mysterious rumor via The Playlist is suggesting that Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike, True Blood, Sabotage, Spider-Man) is up for the role of Deathstroke, there had been rumors the character was in the film but nothing has been confirmed or reported by major outlets.

Joe is a bit different than the other names mentioned here since the actor did on the recommendation of director Zack Snyder did test for both Superman and Batman roles. He also previously worked with David Ayer on the Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick Sabotage.

We know that David Goyer (Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Blade, Man of Steel, Metal Gear Solid) had penned a Deathstroke movie and had planned on producing the film too, so it would be a role that could turn into it's own franchise.

The last one comes from Latino Review, who wasn't confident enough with this rumor to post it on their site but tweeted-out that Gary Sinise (Forest Gump, Snake Eyes) is said to be in talks for the role of General Eiling.

UNCONFIRMED TWITTER RUMOR: Pending more concrete sourcing, I hear Gary Sinise supposedly in talks to join SUICIDE SQUAD as GENERAL EILING.
— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) January 22, 2015

Take all these as rumors at this point.

SOURCE: CINEMA BLEND

Jake Gyllenhaal Offered Role In SUICIDE SQUAD As Tom Hardy Drops Out

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Tom Hardy has essentially dropped out of David Ayer's Suicide Squad vacating the role of Rick Flagg.

Hardy originally signed onto the role alongside Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as The Jocker, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and more recently Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. It's expected we could even more DC Comics rogues in the film including Jesse Eisnberg's Lex Luthor.

Jake got ripped for Soutpaw.

Apparently, scheduling has become a bit of an issue as the shoot will conflict with his other project The Revenant.

Along with his promotional press tour for Mad Max Fury Road that would be happening at the same time as the film would be shooting in Toronto.

That is seemingly a bigger priority as it's being directed by Birdman's Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and would see Hardy reunite with his Inception co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.

Birdman just earned nine Academy Award nominations so any project coming from Inarritu is going to have major heat. I guess you can't blame Hardy for chasing an awards-level movie like Revenant.

The studio has sent out an offer to actor Jake Gyllenhaal and they are interested in him taking over the role of Rick Flagg but it's unknown at this point if he'll take it.

Considering his fan-favorite performance in last year's Nightcrawler and his upcoming boxing pic Southpaw, I'm sure fans would embrace this recasting. Jake also previously worked with Ayer on the L.A. cop drama End of Watch.






Jake also played a convincing serial killer in The Shoes' music video for Time To Dance.



SOURCE: THR

RUMOR: Deathstroke Also Apart Of SUICIDE SQUAD Lineup?

ComicBookMovie has word from a Reddit user that claims to have been apart of a test-group at Warner Bros. for David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Revealing possible plot details of the film, which I will exclude here. One piece of information which was a major standout, Deathstroke is apparently apart of the film. This person also claims to have seen concept art for the villain as well.

We've been hearing rumblings for weeks that Deathstroke could be apart of the film. While nothing official or from our usual trusted channels have commented on this. I'm suspect of this, only because of the source, not because of likelihood of this happening. Deathstroke is an extremely popular villain, thanks to Arrow and the video game Arkham Origins. It doesn't hurt that he's also apart of the new Suicide Squad lineup in the comics. Harley Quinn didn't join the team until 2011, so they are including newer members for the film.

It should be noted that the original lineup for Suicide Squad in the Justin Marks script is drastically different than the current one reported by the trades. It's also possible that the film is still undergoing rewrites from David Ayer and lineup is still being adjusted. Test-groups could be there to help flush-out which characters should be changed or the direction of the film. Then again, this event might have never taken place.

One opinion I've heard makes the most sense here. That Tom Hardy's Rick Flagg could be a studio distraction and that character might actually be Deathstroke (or rewritten to become him). Flagg seems like an extremely obscure character for someone as big as Tom Hardy would play. Considering he's leading the hugely anticipated Mad Max: Fury Road and was being offered roles like Doctor Strange, Sandman in Sinister Six and lead role in X-Men Apocalypse. You'd expect his role in the film would be a lot bigger.

If you look at a majority of the lineup, they're mostly known and recognizable DC Comics characters. Flagg, for the most is only known to die-hard DC fans and likely wouldn't have the awareness that Deathstroke would. Plus, who wouldn't rather see Hardy play an iconic character like Deathstroke? We know that Hardy is able to pull off a role like this that could allow crossovers to other DC films, (Batman solo film or Supermax?).



SOURCE: COMICBOOKMOVIE

Oscar Level Actresses Wanted For Amanda Waller In SUICIDE SQUAD

We're already reeling from the huge casting announcement concerning Suicide Squad, but it's not over yet. There are already rumblings of who the studio wants for the role of Amanda Waller. The ruthless government agent who runs the Suicide Squad program. According to Variety, the first choice is Oscar nominee Oprah Winfrey (Color Purple, Butler, Selma) but Oscar winners Viola Davis (The Help, Ender's Game, Doubt, Prisoners, Blackhat, Knight And Day, Law Abiding Citizen) and Octavia Spencer (Snowpiercer, The Help, Insurgent) are also on their radar.

I would be fine with any of these ladies in the role, but Viola Davis has played more characters like this and could be very convincing as the menacing Waller. Her experience in action films might make her a more suitable casting choice. However, like I've been saying on Twitter this role could end-up being similar to Tyler Perry's oddball casting in David Fincher's Gone Girl, only to become a highlight of the film.


SOURCE: VARIETY

Warner Bros. Confirms Cast For SUICIDE SQUAD And Will Smith Will Indeed Lead As Deadshot

Warner Bros. has made it official and has revealed a majority of the casting for David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Confirming that Oscar winning actor Jared Leto (Fight Club, Lord of War, Panic Room, Requiem For A Dream, Dallas Buyers Club) will indeed be playing our new Joker in the film. Along with Will Smith (Bad Boys, I, Robot, I Am Legend) taking the lead role of Deadshot, which I had been claiming since the first wave of casting news. DC alumni Tom Hardy (Mad Max Fury Road, Inception, Dark Knight Returns, RockNRolla) is playing Rick Flagg and Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street,  is indeed playing Harley Quinn.

Some outlets were claiming Aussie meat-head Jai Courtney (Die Hard 5, Terminator 5, Jack Reacher) was taking the lead part of Deadshot, that sounded insane to me considering his terrible acting track record. This announcement confirms he's actually playing volatile Aussie DC villain Harkness aka Captain Boomerang, perfect casting if you ask me.

In an extremely odd move on the part of Warner Bros., they've cast Cara Delevinge as Enchantress. A magic focused villain created in 1996, who shares a name with a famous sorceress Thor baddie who was created back in the 1960s. I'm curious if Warner Bros. can even use the character name since Marvel has been protective of their characters' copyrights. This isn't a case of character sharing like Marvel has done with Fox in the past, since these are two separate comic book companies. You might remember that DC Comics' Shazam! was originally Captain Marvel, but Marvel ended-up forcing DC to change the name. It's also bizarre the DC character design looks a lot like Marvel's Lady Loki, check out the comparison below.

SOURCE: WB

David Ayer's SUICIDE SQUAD Cast Finalizing Talks And Will Smith Out Of The Mix?

THR is reporting that actors Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney and Jared Leto are finalizing talks to take roles in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Margot is expected to play Harley Quinn with Jared Leto likely set for the new Joker. It's bit weird that people are reporting Aussie Jai Courtney is being looked-at for the lead role of Deadshot (leader of the group), while British actor Tom Hardy is linked for Aussie villain Harkness. I'm really hoping meat-head actor Jai Courtney isn't the lead of this film, and he's actually being placed in the secondary role of Harkness. Hardy seems more viable as the face of the franchise, and having actors like Leto, Hardy and Robbie playing second fiddle to Courtney seems just insane to me.

The film will begin pre-production in February with shooting expected to start in April. Production stages will be in my neck of the woods at Pinewood Studios Toronto. Films shot in the city are known having set photos leak in bulk, examples include Total Recall and Robocop. I expect we'll start seeing set images start rolling-out online in April. The release date is set for August 5th, 2016 and will be the first film post-Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

This news oddly has Will Smith's name missing from the lineup, which could mean he's out of the mix. We've been cautious about Smith's participation mainly since he's notorious for entering sequel talks and backing-out last minute. I'm unsure if Will would be willing to commit to sequels this film would likely spawn. It's normal for comic book contracts to include multiple film commitments. Having a feeling these characters will be showing up in other DC Comics films in the future, since most of the characters are Batman villains. Nothing says he won't end-up in the film, it just seems odd he's not apart of this update on the film.

SOURCE: THR

UPDATED: Jai Courtney Wanted For Deadshot Role In SUICIDE SQAUD

Wow, talk about terrible casting. Variety reports that Warner Bros. is eyeing Aussie Jai Courtney (Die Hard 5, Jack Reacher) for the main role of Deadshot in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. I say terrible because Jai is known for some pretty lousy acting. His addition to the new Terminator film actually made me mad. I won't say that this could ruin the film, but having better actors surrounding him it will be glaring how out of place he'll be in that cast. He's not the leading man type, and this is just really weird lead casting.

Variety is also states that Margot Robbie is indeed looking to play Harley Quinn. They also mention that Tom Hardy is looking to be placed in the Rick Flag role. Not Harkness, which I assume he was since the actor is known for stellar accents. Instead Will Smith is apparently wanted for Harkness. This is sort of bizarre to me since Captain Boomerang is established as an Aussie villain. Smith isn't known for his accents, and hiring Aussie actor Jai Courtney for that role seems like a better move on the part of DC. I'm kind of hoping Variety got these male roles mixed-up, because this sounds ridiculous to me. Placing Will Smith and Tom Hardy in supporting roles seems fishy to me, those two are stronger leads than Courtney.

Jesse Eisenberg is said to be in talks to reprise the role of Lex Luthor in the film. Jared Leto could be our next Joker, and might be an excellent way to introduce the manic villain to this new DCU. David Ayer is directing with a release date set for August 2016, months after Batman v Superman drops. Production is expected to begin sooner than expected.

UPDATE: Deadline is now reporting that Courtney might be cast in another DC movie, which isn't Suicide Squad. There are plenty of films in the works including Wonder Woman, Shazam!, Aquaman, Justice League and The Flash coming-up next.

SOURCE: VARIETY

RUMOR: Margot Robbie Locked-In For Harley Quinn Role In SUICIDE SQAUD?

Collider is stating that Aussie actress Margot Robbie (Tarzan, Wolf of Wall Street) is a lock for Suicide Squad and is indeed playing Harley Quinn in the film. This is the first time a site is actually trying to confirm that the role is indeed Quinn. Actors Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor), Jared Leto (Joker), Will Smith (Deadshot) and Tom Hardy (Harkin) are also in the mix for the film. David Ayer is set to direct with the film set for a August 2016 release date.

While Collider does have a great record of scoops with their wonderful on-the-record interviews. Their "sourced" scoops are touch-and-go. Frosty (face of the site) took to Twitter to proclaim Joaquin Phoenix as confirmed for Doctor Strange. Only moments after this his peers corrected him with their own information, revealing Phoenix was getting cold feet. This turned-out to be true and he exited talks, with Benedict Cumberbatch currently the frontrunner for the role. Giving the impression that they've been going forward on old information, or just rumblings that happen to be circling bloggers' channels. Something that happens regularly with all sites.

The film is likely going to start-up production in the coming months, so locking-down a cast now seems right on schedule. However, Robbie has been in the mix for a bunch of high-profile projects only to exit at the last minute. Examples of this include Ghost In The Shell and Fantastic Four, it's a good role for her. However, Warner Bros' Tarzan might have filled the genre quota for her at the moment. I'm going to wait for better confirmation from other sites and sources. She's also expected to take a co-starring role in Tina Fey's The Taliban Shuffle.

Then again, I would be fine with this casting. As we now know that WB is looking to place Joker in the film, having Robbie play the fast-talking Joker sidekick is actually perfect. It doesn't hurt that she is apparently dating Jared Leto (rumored frontrunner for Joker role).

SOURCE: COLLIDER

Cara Delevingne Eyed For SUICIDE SQUAD Role?

LatinoReview is hearing another actress being linked for a role in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. British actress Cara Delevingne is being eyed for the film. The newcomer is best known for smaller roles in films like Joe Wright's Anna Karenina and Pan, the latter is another Warner Bros. picture. Apparently, Disney is interested in her for Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Her next couple of films will see her working with Johnny Depp in London Fields and Kate Beckinsale in the thriller The Face of An Angel.

Her part in the film isn't being revealed, but there is some speculation with some rewrites it could be Harley Quinn.

Previously, Aussie actress Margot Robbie had been wanted for a female lead in the film. Robbie is known for being in the mix and quickly getting out of it. Margot had been in the running for leads in Fox's Fantastic Four and Dreamworks' Ghost In The Shell, but didn't land the roles. It might be a similar case with Suicide Squad, as other projects could peek her interest and drag her away. S

She seems like a great fit for the project working with Warner Bros. on Wolf of Wall Street, Focus and the Tarzan remake. Working with Will Smith in Focus was our nod this could be a reason the studio wanted to re-team the two actors. Smith's role isn't being revealed, but it's a strong possibility it's Deadshot. The self-appointed leader of the villain team. Tom Hardy is also in the mix, I assume for the role of weapons expert Harkness (Captain Boomerang). There is word via Deadline that Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor could also factor into the film.

SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW 

Jesse Eisenberg Might Reprise Lex Luthor Role In David Ayer's SUICIDE SQUAD

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is talking with Jesse Eisenberg about reprising the role of Superman villain Lex Luthor in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Jesse will introduce audiences to his take on Lex in 2016 with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Squad is about a group of rag-tag DC villains forced on suicide missions and will be the next DCU movie put into production. It's possible that Lex's role in the DCU will continue throughout the massive amount releases.

We've already heard that Will Smith, Tom Hardy and Margot Robbie are circling roles in the film. Usually, when it comes to DC casting we hear a very few names linked for roles. It's likely these will be our leads of the film. I'm under the assumption that Smith could be playing Deadshot, Hardy is wanted for Harkness and whatever the female lead ends-up is where Robbie fits in. Be that Harley Quinn or whatever female villain role they eventually announce she's playing. It will be coming to theatres only a few months after Batman v Superman in August 2016.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Will Smith And Tom Hardy Close To Signing-On For David Ayer's SUICIDE SQUAD..UPDATE: Margot Robbie Too!

THR was first to report that Warner Bros. was looking at Ryan Gosling, Will Smith, Tom Hardy and Margot Robbie for roles in Suicide Squad. The DC Comics film will be next installment of the DCU after the release of Batman v Superman. Deadline is now saying that Smith and Hardy are very close to signing-on, while their roles aren't being named. The film's script is undergoing a couple of rewrites, but is expected to go into production very soon. It's release date is set for August 6th, 2016, which means it will likely shoot during the spring and summer of next year.

UPDATE: Deadline has updated their original story, by adding that Margot Robbie is also close to signing-on. Robbie was attached to lead Ghost In The Shell, but Dreamworks has gone with another actress. She recently worked with Smith on the con-artist movie Focus. I'm curious if Will Smith might end-up taking the Deadshot part, while Hardy taking the roguish role of Harkness. 





SOURCE: DEADLINE

Ryan Gosling, Tom Hardy, WIll Smith & Margot Robbie Wanted For David Ayer's SUICIDE SQUAD?

Warner Bros. made a huge announcement today revealing their plans for the DC cinematic universe. Confirming that Suicide Squad will being released on August 6th, 2016 with David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch) directing. Having of a group of nasty criminals unwillingly taking the role of heroes.

THR is reporting that the studio is in early casting mode. Eyeing actors such as Ryan Gosling (Drive), Tom Hardy (Locke, Mad Max Fury Road, Inception), Will Smith and Margot Robbie (Tarzan, Ghost In The Shell, Wolf Of Wall Street). Gosling was once attached to star in WB's Logan's Run remake and wanted a small role in Wonder Woman when Nicholas Winding Refn was considering directing the film. Hardy might have played Bane, but since this is a new Batman universe his take on the villain never existed. I actually could see him playing Harkness in the film. Margot was in the mix to play Sue Storm in Fox's Fantastic Four reboot and could make for excellent addition to any franchise. Will Smith seems like the hardest-get here. However, after turning down iconic roles in films like Matrix and Django Unchained, a couple of box office bombs and being pushed-out of the I Am Legend sequel. Smith might be a bit more willing to consider a DC role.

SOURCE: THR

Warner Bros. Making Fourth I AM LEGEND Movie, Will They Get It Right This Time?

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is attempting a fourth adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend. The other versions include Vincent Price's The Last Man On Earth, Charles Heston's The Omega Man and Will Smith's I Am Legend. This time they are moving forward without Will Smith, a smart move on their part. Considering that Smith is known to hold-up productions and hasn't been the earner at the box office he used to be. The problems he creates during the development process, isn't worth the headaches.

The studio is looking to reboot with a spec-script entitled A Garden At The End of The World, which will be retooled to fit the I Am Legend world. This Black List script comes from newcomer screenwriter Gary Graham. A new actor will be looked-at to spearhead this potential franchise. I'm very curious what director they'll land that will be able to turn this property into a serial horror franchise.

Before the 2007 film the project had been set to film back in 1997. Ridley Scott was actually hired by the studio to direct with Arnold Schwarzenegger attached to star. John Logan (Skyfall, Hugo, The Aviator, Last Samurai, Gladiator, Any Given Sunday) penned a rewrite of the original draft, which included a long stretch of the film without any dialog for the first hour.

While that awesome film was never to be, we have some idea of cool it could have been. Studio ADI posted images and video from the makeup tests from Scott's version. To say it's impressive is an understatement. Considering the final film ended-up using unrealistic looking CGI creature effects, it's a shame to see all this practical work went to waste. However, the design work surely did influence Francis Lawrence's film greatly. The studio felt Ridley's vision was too expensive and he would go-off to make Gladiator instead.

As we're in the era of Walking Dead, you'd think Warner Bros. would aim for more practical horror effects in this new project, time will tell. Digital effects are seemingly less expensive, but don't always age well and aren't best used in horror films. Smith's I Am Legend is only seven years old, but the film looks twice it's age due to the poor digital work. The downside of digital horror effects is that they never end-up looking scary enough to be convincing, as practical makeup can.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Jessica Brown Findlay Takes Female Lead In Winter's Tale

Deadline reports that British actress Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey, Albatross) has beat out a slew of other actress for the lead in Winter's Tale. Garrett Hedlund and Aaron Johnson are the current frontrunners for the male lead. It's been previously reported that Russell Crowe and Will Smith will have small roles as well. The film centers around a dying young woman who falls in love with a thief who breaks into her home, a palatial West Side mansion, in a drama that takes place in 19th Century and contemporary Manhattan. Shooting will start on October 15th in New York.

RUMOR: Leonardo DiCaprio Playing Villain In Django Unchained?

Rumors are starting to spread concerning Tarantino's Django Unchained. Recently we heard that Idris Elba could be up for a role in the film, based on cryptic Tweets. Now there is a one coming from Jeff Goldsmith (former Sr. editor of CreativeScreenwriting) who tweeted his own giant casting rumor. He says that Leonardo DiCaprio will play Clavin Candie the slave-owner villain of the film. Of course nothing has been announced yet.

“Casting Rumor: Leonardo DiCaprio WILL play villian Calvin Candie in [Quentin] Tarantino‘s “Django Unchained”! QT wanted him for I.B. & now has him!”


In Variety's original story about Will Smith's involvement, the bounty hunter role of Dr. Shultz was out to Leo but he turned it down. So it was eventually modified for Christoph Waltz. Now it seems like the villainous role could make up for the fact DiCaprio also turned down Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. There has also been some speculation that Elba could be up for the controversial role of Stephen, the right hand man of Calvin which had been linked to Samuel L. Jackson. Which could mean Will Smith is indeed still on track to play Django.

RUMOR: Idris Elba Meeting Tarantino For Django Unchained?

There has been many speculations concerning Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. What we do know is that it will be a slave-era spaghetti western with a freed slave as the main character. Focusing on his mission to save his wife with the help of a bounty hunter. Previously there has been talk of Will Smith being pursued for the lead role. Now there is a really exciting rumor that involves Idris Elba meeting for the part as well. Elba Tweeted this interesting tidbit that has fueled the rumor.  

"Having one of the biggest meetings of my professional life today...meeting a very controversial director for a very controversial part. :-/"

Elba is quickly making a big name for himself in both television and film. Known for stand out roles in The Wire, RockNRolla, Thor, The Office, Luther, American Gangster, 28 Weeks Later and not to mention an important role in Ridley Scott's Alien prequel Prometheus. He's been on many people's list when trying to think of casting for the role of Django, including mine. Which has been one of the main reasons to think this is Django. I'm pulling for Idris as this could be his big break turning him into a full-fledged leading man.

Leonardo DiCaprio Turns Down Another Tarantino Role

Variety's Jeff Sneider tweeted an interesting casting tidbit concerning the role of Dr. King Schultz (the dentist turned bounty hunter) in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Originally the role was offered to Leonardo DiCaprio but he declined giving Christoph Waltz another opportunity to work with Quentin.

Previously DiCaprio had been Tarantino's top choice to play Col. Hans Landa in Basterds but turned it down making way for Waltz to win an Oscar. I'm curious why DiCaprio is opting not take choice roles in Tarantino films which were written with him in mind. His current batch of projects are likely based on directors alone with roles that seem mostly Oscar bait. I personally enjoyed Leo in Sam Raimi's The Quick & The Dead so I'm a little disappointed he's not returning to the western genre. The rumored/in talks cast currently includes Will Smith, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Franco Nero, Treat Williams, Keith Carradine and Uma Thurman.

Will Smith Frontrunner For Lead In Tarantino's Django Unchained

HeatVision reports that Will Smith is wanted for the lead role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Smith would play Django a freed slave who teams with a German bounty hunter to save his wife from an evil plantation owner. They also confirm Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson are circling roles. An official offer has not gone out to Smith but it's likely coming down to his fee.