Will Smith to star in Tarantinos next "Django Unchained" ?

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

At last, Will Smith explains why he turned down the part. Do you believe him?



Quentin Tarantino originally went to Will Smith to play Django in Django Unchained, and that would have been a brilliant bit of casting. The globe's most beloved, safest black superstar shooting a white lady in cold blood? Amazing!

But Smith passed on the part, and now he has given Entertainment Weekly his official reasoning. I almost buy this:

Django wasn’t the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead! I was like, ‘No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy!

It's interesting to hear a big Hollywood star be open about something like that - he has to be the top guy in the movie, he can't share the spotlight. Of course that's an enormous misreading of Django Unchained on every level, but I also believe that Smith sort of simply didn't get the script.

I think there's more behind Smith's passing on the part, including the fact that he was uncomfortable with some of the film's racial aspects and that he wanted to have a rewrite done, but that goofy quote does seem to sum up enough of it.

http://badassdigest.com/2013/03/25/w...ngo-unchained/

Will Smith also turned down the role of NEO in The Matrix, because he just "didn't get it" after he was pitched by the The Wachowskis.

But The Wild Wild West made him a good payday at least. I like Will Smith, but to me he has lost his star power. His lame, safe movie choices, along with his seeming insistence that his son become a movie star, no longer makes me excited about any movie in which he is the star.

Jamie Foxx killed it in Django Unchained and Smith never could have pulled it off.

[bowener]

I believe Will Smith probably tries to go for the safe part, and by safe I mean the part that panders to the widest audience, and keeps him open to the most roles in the future. He will probably never act in a role that may harm future prospects, even if that role could win him an oscar like Django could have. I don't know if I can blame him since he makes a fortune per role.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by bowener

I believe Will Smith probably tries to go for the safe part, and by safe I mean the part that panders to the widest audience, and keeps him open to the most roles in the future. He will probably never act in a role that may harm future prospects, even if that role could win him an oscar like Django could have. I don't know if I can blame him since he makes a fortune per role.

The irony here is that this movie ended up a huge hit anyways, so it wasn't much of a risk ultimately. And lately his movies have been crap. Your right, he's a little too conservative.

[Deberg_1990]

So i finally got to watch this again tonight. I still maintain its too long. It crescendos right after DiCaprio dies and the house shootout takes places. Everything after is just 20 minutes of filler.

[Ragged Robin]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

So i finally got to watch this again tonight. I still maintain its too long. It crescendos right after DiCaprio dies and the house shootout takes places. Everything after is just 20 minutes of filler.

I believe Tarantino mentioned that Django getting caught and then escaping after the shootout was supposed to be the ending but he felt like it should end on a more happy note so he changed the script during shooting to have Django come back and save the girl etc. I agree that it just doesn't quite flow right.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Ragged Robin

I believe Tarantino mentioned that Django getting caught and then escaping after the shootout was supposed to be the ending but he felt like it should end on a more happy note so he changed the script during shooting to have Django come back and save the girl etc. I agree that it just doesn't quite flow right.

I can see that, but you can't say it's any worse than the last part of Dark Knight.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Ragged Robin

I believe Tarantino mentioned that Django getting caught and then escaping after the shootout was supposed to be the ending but he felt like it should end on a more happy note so he changed the script during shooting to have Django come back and save the girl etc. I agree that it just doesn't quite flow right.

Yep, I saw an interview with him that the ending got changed during shooting by him not any pressure from the studio. He said something to the effect of "I have total control over my movies. That is never an issue." The question was did the studio pressure for a more happy ending?

Will Smith needs to learn from Brad Pitt. He was a main lead but not the end all be all in the movie. Everyone will remember the "Killing Nazi's" speech, Trying to talk German and "I want my scalps" forever. It's movie lore now.

[noa]

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[Deberg_1990]

Interesting. I really like the movie, but it's the only one of his that to me doesn't flow right at the end like that.
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