Franco Nero

Those who know me, know that I'm a cinephile. And when it comes to film, I'm a major Tarantino and Spaghetti Western enthusiast.

So you best believe that I basically busted a nut when I came across the knowledge of Tarantino's next project: Django Unchained.

It's basically a period piece that takes place in the midst of American Slavery in the 1800's. The story will be executed more like a genre film (spaghetti western to be exact), rather than a socio-political narrative that peels through layers of subtext like some of the Spike Lee Joints. Rumored attachments are Christoph Waltz, who I've grown more and more of a fan of ever since he nailed the Jew Hunter role in Inglorious Basterds. What really got me excited was the rumor that Tarantino will also be collaborating with Will Smith on this project as well, Smith playing the title role. And everyone knows Will Smith has done more than live up to the hype of his plethora of talents. And c'mon, Will Smith delivering Tarantino dialogue, it doesn't get any better than that.

I'm kind of curious whether the original Django by Sergio Corbucci has any influence on the final cut. Next to Once Upon a Time in the West and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Django has got to be my second favorite Spaghetti Western of all time. If Tarantino were to get Ennio Morricone to do the score, I could see Django Unchained sparking this sort of Neo-Spaghetti Western movement, with Django Unchained surmounting the pile.