Although a movie may still be the midst of production, a studio typically manages to put together a coming attraction based on choice footage that’s already been shot.
Django Unchained will probably be in production for a while, but the first footage for it is now out there because the coming attraction will be playing before Prometheus this weekend – and so far it looks pretty good.
Since Kill Bill, Tarantino’s been working with Robert Richardson as his Director of Photography, who worked at length with Oliver Stone, and also shot Casino, The Aviator and Hugo for Martin Scorsese. Indeed, the footage looks terrific, which you could have guessed from seeing hte still photos from the film, which also looked cool.
But the real test is how close Tarantino will stick to his own script, which having read it myself is quite good, and the performances. He’s definitely got a good cast with Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, and many others, so unless something goes horribly wrong, it should be a pretty decent film.
Although Foxx is a terrific actor, you also have to wonder what Will Smith would have been like in Django, because he was Tarantino’s first choice. Although I like Smith as an actor, I’m not quite sure he could have pulled it off as well as Foxx is doing so far.
As to why he turned it down, there’s no official word, but many speculate Smith is protective enough of his image he wouldn’t want to take on something this potentially controversial, and he also probably wouldn’t have done the film unless he was the big man on the set, and that’s not gonna fly with Tarantino. (This could also be why Warren Beatty didn’t play the title role in Kill Bill, because he couldn’t let his ego run amok and take over the movie, which is why he never works with strong directors.)
The fan reaction to the trailer so far? Collider reports, “This trailer is quintessential Tarantino with killer music choices, flowery dialog, and atmosphere galore. Waltz is actually front and center here, and it’s great to see him spouting Taratnino’s words with such cheerfulness once again. I love everything about this first footage and if the trailer doesn’t bring a big smile to your face, then you’re probably dead inside.”
Cinema Blend also enthused, “First Django Unchained trailer arrives online, and it looks amazing!”
In addition to playing a slave fighting for his freedom, Foxx is also “in talks” to play the President in White House Down, which is a hot script that Roland Emmerich of ID4 fame will be directing. As Deadline tells us, the script was penned by James Vanderbilt, who also wrote my favorite David Fincher film, Zodiac, and it’s being described as “Die Hard at the White House.”
